


Light and Dark

by meyari



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Smallville, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, Crossover, M/M, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-28
Updated: 2011-07-28
Packaged: 2017-10-21 21:14:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 90,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meyari/pseuds/meyari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe where the Roman Empire survived and slavery continues to be a significant factor in everyday life, young Clark Kent is tapped to be heir to his grandfather's position as Dominus of House Clark. His secrets crash into his beloved personal slave Bruce Wayne's hidden past when they meet Lex Luthor, heir to House Luthor and someone who knows more about both Clark and Bruce than either of them realize. Together, the three of them try and survive against the threat of discovery, House Luthor's treachery against the Emperor and the ever-powerful and enigmatic House O'Neill.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One note is that the age of adulthood in this 'verse is 16 years old. The age of consent is 13 for free people and 12 for slaves, though that's rarely enforced. Set in an AU that combines Smallville with Batman Begins, with cameos by SG1, all in a political system that is ruled by an emperor with the 'lords' being called 'Dominus' as it's a holdover from Roman times.

Bruce held the car door for Master William, his eyes properly downcast so that he wouldn't offend his owner. He wasn't bad as owners went. Since Bruce's parents had been murdered and he'd been sold as a slave Bruce had belonged to some terrible owners. He understood far better now why his parents had always said he should be kind and respectful to Alfred. He knew now how rare that was.

Master William gave him an absent-minded pat on the head, gesturing for Bruce to get the bags from the trunk of the car. They were a bit much for Bruce to handle by himself but none of the bellhops offered to help. They were free and Bruce was a slave, so they wouldn't think of helping. Besides, his master had given an order and Bruce was big enough to carry it out, barely. By the time he got everything inside, Master William was signing for their room.

"Will you need a bed for your son?" the clerk asked, smiling at Bruce.

"Oh he's not my son," Master William said with a frown that said that Bruce had misbehaved yet again. "He's a slave. A pet bed will suffice."

"Of course sir," the clerk said, flushing that she'd mistaken a slave for a real person. "My apologies. It's just that he's so forward."

"I know," Master William sighed, tapping Bruce's head so that he'd look down at the floor. "I'm working on it. He's still in training, I'm afraid."

Bruce dropped his gaze, doing his best not to glare at the floor. Glares were obvious and he couldn't be obvious. It didn't matter what everyone else saw when they looked at him. He wasn't a slave. He shouldn't have been sold. He was Bruce Wayne. He should be in Wayne Manor in Gotham, with Alfred and his parents, though of course his parents were long since dead. Two years and he hadn't accepted it. He didn't think that he ever would accept it. Uncle Bill had promised to take care of him and then had stolen the Wayne company, the Manor and sold Bruce as a slave. It was illegal but no one had listened to Bruce at the time and no one would listen now. He should let it go but he couldn't. He had to get vengeance for his parents and for himself. He had no idea how he was going to do it though.

"Come along, Bruce," Master William said, annoyance filling his voice.

"Yes Master," Bruce said, picking up the just-slightly-too-heavy bags again.

The room was quite nice, with a big bed for Master William and a too-small pet bed for Bruce under the window. Bruce busied himself with unpacking Master William's clothes, hanging up his pants and jacket so that they wouldn't wrinkle. Master William watched and then sighed, making Bruce tense.

"You've impeccable training when you choose to use it, boy," Master William said. "If you'd choose to use it more often I suspect that you wouldn't have been sold and you'd have been beaten a lot less frequently."

"I'm sorry, Master William," Bruce said, keeping his face blank as he turned, knelt and pressed his forehead against the carpet by Master William's feet. "It's hard to remember how to behave sometimes."

"You are young," Master William said, patting his back, "but that's no excuse. You're not that young. Now get up. We're heading out to see my daughter and her good-for-nothing husband. Why she gave up everything for that farmer Kent I will never know."

Bruce waited until Master William stood and then got up. He grabbed the bags of presents that Master William had brought for his daughter and adopted grandson. He'd been listening to Master William's complaints about Jonathan Kent ever since Master William bought him three months ago. Bruce found it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as Master William thought Jonathan Kent was, but he'd seen more than enough of the bad side of humanity for him to be quietly nervous as Master William drove them out to the Kent Farm. The little that Bruce could see of it from the floor of the car was quite nice, well tended, prosperous, and quiet. When they arrived, Bruce scrambled out of the back seat and held Master William's door for him, eyes fixed on the ground. Having been reminded once and then having had Master William 'discuss' his propensity for meeting free people's eyes, Bruce knew he'd get a beating if he was caught doing it again.

"Dad!" Martha Kent called, sounding delighted to see him. Bruce risked a glance and immediately decided he liked her. She was young, happy and had bright red hair.

"Martha," Master William said.

His voice was a mixture of pride, happiness and dismay, probably at the old jeans and flannel shirt she was wearing. Master William was a serious dresser, which extended to Bruce as well. Bruce's tunic was longer than most and included leggings because Master William didn't want his friends getting ideas that Bruce was available for more adult usage. Bruce had quite literally kissed Master William's feet for that indulgence. They headed inside already chatting and Bruce got the presents. He started as little arms wrapped around his waist. Bruce looked down into the bright green eyes and beaming face of a little boy that had to be Martha's adopted son Clark. Clark giggled, hugging him tight enough that it hurt. He looked to be about four or so.

"I help!" Clark declared and then looked hesitant. "Puweese?"

"You can help," Bruce said, trying not to grin back at the boy. He wasn't supposed to play with other kids. He was supposed to work. "Can you carry this?"

He offered the smallest box to him. Clark's eyes got very big and he took the box like it was made of fine china, cradling it to his chest. He nodded hard and headed up the path to the house, concentrating so hard on not dropping the box that Bruce couldn't help but laugh quietly. He got the rest of the bags and followed Clark, nodding respectfully at the ginger haired man who had to be Jonathan Kent when he held the door.

"Thanks for bringing those in, son," Jonathan said, patting Bruce's back.

"Yes sir," Bruce said, bowing his head and shoulders. "You're welcome, sir."

Bruce saw Jonathan's frown from the corner of his eye. He did his best not to react to it. Hopefully replying wasn't the wrong thing to do. Bruce hated going to new places because he was never completely certain what was improper behavior and what wasn't. There were so many grey areas in slave behavior that Bruce was always at a loss. He was relatively certain that it was deliberate, designed to keep slaves off balance all the time. Bruce put the presents on the kitchen table, listening to Master William's complaints about his work, Bruce's lack of training, and Martha's choices in life with one ear. It was the normal litany so most of his focus was on what to do next. He wasn't sure what he should be doing next.

"Pway with me?" Clark asked, latching onto Bruce's waist again.

"I'm sorry but I can't," Bruce said as quietly as possible to Clark. "I'll get in trouble."

"But why?" Clark asked, his big green eyes clouding with tears.

Bruce winced, trying to figure out how to explain to a four-year-old that he had to be ready to serve his master while not letting the rage overtake him that he was a slave and had a master. Jonathan appeared from what felt like nowhere, patting Bruce's shoulder again. Bruce started, staring at Jonathan for a second before dropping his gaze to Clark's dark hair.

"Do me a favor, son," Jonathan said. "Take Clark outside and watch over him as he plays. He gets bored very quickly and the grown ups need to have a long talk."

"That's hardly appropriate," Master William said sourly. "Don't encourage the boy to act like he's free. He's got enough discipline problems as it is."

"I'm not," Jonathan said, his jaw jutting out. "Clark's got a positive talent for getting into trouble. He's only four and a half. We can't let him go out to play by himself and your boy looks responsible. He'll do a good job watching over Clark."

Master William huffed, giving Clark a glare that the boy obviously didn't understand. Martha bristled, puffing up to at least twice her size. She laid a glare on Master William that made him wince as if she'd hit him in the face. Master William sighed, nodding approval. Bruce bowed and picked up Clark, heading for the back door so that they'd avoid the argument that was obviously brewing.

"Why you adopted someone's by-blow I will never know," Master William said as Bruce closed the back door.

"Dad!" Martha's shout of outrage carried clearly and gave Bruce the incentive to hurry down the stairs and out into the back yard.

"They're mad," Clark said, his little face solemn. "I was bad?"

"No, they're just being grown ups," Bruce said, setting Clark down. "They're not mad at you."

Clark considered it for a moment and then nodded. He smiled and it was like the sun had come out. Bruce watched Clark play with his truck for a while and eventually got sucked into helping Clark build a city in his sandbox. They were busy setting up bricks as high rises and leaves as trees when Martha called them in for dinner. Bruce helped Clark wash up, and then just about fell over in shock as he got a spot at the table right next to Clark. Master William looked utterly offended about it but one pointed glare from Martha shut him up. The grownups talked about the economy, politics and the sad state of the education system while Bruce tried to convince Clark to eat his cauliflower. He didn't succeed in getting more than one bite into Clark—who made faces like he was going to die as he swallowed it—but that was apparently more than anyone expected because Bruce was rewarded with a piece of pie for dessert. Bruce ate it reverently while Clark wolfed his down and then kicked his heels. Bruce wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't had any pie for two years, but Martha's pie was the best he'd ever had, including Alfred's creations.

"Like pie," Clark giggled to Bruce, studying him with his elbows on the table and that sunny grin plastered all over his face.

"Mmm-hmm," Bruce sighed, finishing the last bite and savoring it. He knew that he wasn't likely to get any more for a very long time.

"Clark, can you help Bruce clear the table?" Martha asked, smiling at both of them.

"Yeah!" Clark crowed, jumping down and taking his plate to the kitchen.

"Thank you very much," Bruce said, bowing properly before starting to gather all the plates and glasses.

Bruce washed the dishes with Clark's 'help' (he passed things to Bruce to wash while standing on a stepstool) and far too soon it was time for Clark to head to bed. Bruce got roped into tucking him in and telling him a story, which Clark enjoyed. Bruce sat by Clark's bed until he fell asleep and then crept downstairs to kneel next to Master William's chair in the living room. Master William gave him an oblique look, his face so closed off that Bruce had no idea what he was thinking.

"I still do not understand your reasoning," Master William said to Martha.

"I think it makes complete sense," Martha said, curled up on the couch. She was leaning into Jonathan's side as if it was the most natural place in the world for her to be. "He works well with Clark, is big enough to be a help around the farm, and you yourself said that he's got too much energy for the city. Being on the farm would help with that."

"We could do with the help," Jonathan said, smiling at Master William. The smile didn't reach his eyes, which were hard and angry as he looked at Master William. "He looks like he'll grow up to be a big boy. I thought he was twelve or thirteen, not eleven."

"You can't afford him," Master William growled.

He put a possessive hand on Bruce's shoulder, which made Bruce finally realize that they were talking about buying him. Bruce started and stared at them openly, his mouth dropping open in surprise. He'd been sold abruptly before but never privately like this. There had been dealers and merchants, being stripped naked and made to submit to people touching him and checking his teeth, among other things.

"You said you wanted to help, Dad," Martha said, her voice taking on a steely tone that almost frightening. Bruce was glad it wasn't directed at him. "Having another person here on the farm to help would do more than anything else."

Bruce dropped his eyes to his lap as Master William's had tightened on his shoulder. He wasn't sure if he should be hoping Master William said yes or no. If he said yes, then Bruce was destined to spend the rest of his life here on this farm, which didn't give him any chance to gather the information he needed to get his life and fortune back. If he said no, Bruce was likely going to get the beating of his life for 'being presumptuous'. He wanted to be part of a family again but the cold hard fact was that Bruce wouldn't be part of the family. He'd be the family's slave, which was something else entirely. Bruce's shoulder creaked as Master William squeezed hard enough to leave bruises and then abruptly let go.

"Fine," Master William said. "I'll send the boy's things out to the farm. I need to get going."

He stood, leaving Bruce kneeling by the chair in shock. There were hugs and kisses, a semi-cordial handshake between Master William and Jonathan. Bruce was still kneeling there when his new Master Jonathan came over and knelt down on one knee to pat his shoulder. Bruce bowed, putting his forehead on the wooden floor. He was shaking, which made him want to snarl at himself. He was Bruce Wayne. He shouldn't be afraid. He shouldn't be shaking. It didn't help him deal with the fear paralyzing him.

"It's okay, son," Master Jonathan said, rubbing Bruce's back. "We're not going to beat you or overwork you. Martha would beat me about the head and shoulders if you got hurt."

"Jonathan," Mistress Martha scolded him, "don't frighten the boy. Getting a new master so abruptly is terrifying."

She pulled him up out of his kneeling posture and up onto his feet, supporting him as his legs wobbled from lack of circulation and nerves. She looked so warm and supportive, not at all upset as he met her eyes. Master Jonathan looked equally supportive, his hand big and warm on Bruce's back.

"We'll talk about the rules and what you'll be doing tomorrow," Mistress Martha said. "For now I had a couple of questions. Were you born a slave, Bruce?"

"No," Bruce said, his back stiffening as his chin came up. "I wasn't. My name is Bruce Wayne. My parents were murdered and my fortune was stolen. I should never have been a slave at all but someone my parents trusted took advantage of their deaths and here I am."

At least that's what he wanted to say. Bruce bit his tongue to keep the words in. He'd told Masters before, all of them except Master William who warned him before he'd said a word that telling tales would get him beaten. He couldn't trust them, not yet. If they took on a slave so casually, what was to say that they wouldn't be equally casual about getting rid of him?

"No Mistress," Bruce said.

"Then you know how to read and write?" Martha asked, rubbing his arm.

"Yes Mistress," Bruce said.

"Good," Martha said, beaming at him with a smile that was nearly as brilliant as Clark's. "We'll have to make sure you keep learning. Clark's very bright and I want to home school him until he's older. It will be good to have someone else to help with that, as well as with the farm."

She chattered about their plans for him and Clark while gathering up blankets and a roll up mattress for him to sleep on. She made it sound like more like he'd been adopted than that he'd been sold to a new Master. Master Jonathan chuckled, patting Bruce's back.

"She gets like that," Master Jonathan said confidentially to Bruce. "Don't worry, Bruce. We're not going to abuse you. Martha's a savior. She sees someone who needs help and won't stop until she's made things better for them. We don't follow the rules of the rest of the world in his house. You're going to be as much like a son as we can manage with the laws of the land. You're safe now."

Bruce tried to say something but nothing came out. Master Jonathan gave him another pat on the back, guiding him up to Clark's room where Martha was quietly laying out his bed. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead, letting him settled down to sleep. It took a long while for Bruce to fall asleep. Bruce dropped off after the moon had risen and the cold light poured into the bedroom. He woke the next morning completely disoriented, not only by the more comfortable than usual bed and warm blankets but also by the small warm body pressed up against him. Bruce rubbed the sleep out his eyes and stared down at Clark.

"Time to get up," Martha said, chuckling low and happy as she saw Clark cuddled in his bed. "You'll have to get used to that, I'm afraid. Clark's a snuggler. We only just got him to the point where the stops crawling into bed with us in the middle of the night. Do you mind?"

"Um, no Mistress," Bruce said, blinking at her and then smiling gently at Clark's grumpy mumbles. "It's fine."

"We may just get a bigger bed for you two to share then," Martha said. "Do your best to get him up. He's a slow waker but you'll spend all day keeping up with him."

Bruce nodded but she'd already left, heading down the stairs. Clark was slow to wake up, mumbling and grumbling as Bruce tried to nudge and shake him into wakefulness. He was much stronger than Bruce would have expected for such a little boy. When he wrapped his fists into Bruce's shirt, Bruce literally couldn't get them loose. He grinned and sat up, dragging Clark with him. Clark squawked and then laughed as Bruce hauled himself upright with Clark still hanging on. Once Clark's eyes opened, Bruce hugged him and held him close.

"Mine?" Clark asked, still clinging to Bruce's shirt. "Not going away? Not leaving me?"

"No, I'm not leaving you," Bruce promised, smiling at the little boy. "I promise I'll stay."

"Yay!" Clark squealed, latching his arms around Bruce's neck. "Mine…"

Bruce smiled, hugging Clark as he headed to the bathroom with Clark clinging to him like a little monkey. He wasn't sure how things had changed so abruptly, and he didn't think that he'd stay here for the rest of his life, but for now this looked like a good place. He wouldn't give up on his vengeance. He wouldn't give up on getting his name and fortune back. He couldn't. But he could stay here until he got older and strong enough to take down the people who had destroyed his world.

"Mine," Clark sighed, resting his head on Bruce's shoulder.

"Yes sir," Bruce said, his heart warming a little at Clark's happiness. "Yours."

+++++

"Master, it's time to get up."

Clark grumbled, pulling the blankets over his head. It couldn't be morning already. The blankets were tugged back down, making Clark groan. A couple of seconds later the curtains were thrown open and sunshine poured down on Clark's face. He sighed, enjoying the warmth while wishing he could get more sleep.

"Up, Master," Bruce insisted.

"Don't want to," Clark mumbled, opening his eyes to meet Bruce's calm expression. "How can you be so alert? You were up as late as I was."

"I went to sleep when we went to bed, Master Clark," Bruce said, smirking at him. "You were the one who chose to stay up reading for several more hours."

"I just want to make sure that I'm ready," Clark said, reluctantly sitting up. "This is such a big deal. I don't want to bring Dominus Luthor down on us if we can help it. There are so many things that we hide here. I don't want to be the one to bring it all crashing down."

Bruce smiled his gentle not-smile at Clark, offering a hand to him. Clark took it and tugged Bruce into his arms despite Bruce's annoyed growl. They'd been together since Clark was four. Bruce had taught Clark to read, to write, to do math. He'd helped Clark learn to control his powers. He'd been the one to help Clark overcome his fear of heights. He'd been there for everything that Clark had ever experienced. He'd been Clark's first kiss, first lover, first everything and Clark tried to tell Bruce at every opportunity how much that meant to him.

"I'm glad you'll be there," Clark whispered, burying his face in Bruce's shoulder. "I don't think that I could do this if you weren't. I'm so afraid I'm going to mess it up and reveal me, Mom and Dad, everything."

Bruce stiffened so much that he felt like he'd turned to stone. Clark blinked and pulled back, staring at Bruce. His face was set but he'd gone white as a sheet. Clark's heart flipped at the thought that Bruce might think that he would betray them but then he noticed that Bruce's pupils had dilated and his heart rate had gone through the roof. Clark cocked his head. It wasn't often that he saw Bruce this afraid, though meeting Dominus always made him react a little.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Clark said, petting Bruce's cheek. "It's okay, whatever it is. You know I'd never let you be hurt, Bruce."

"I'm afraid that I do not feel well," Bruce said, putting on his stiffest, most formal, manners as he pulled out of Clark's arms and stood. "You'll have to go by yourself."

"I can't," Clark said, staring at Bruce in concern.

Bruce's hands were shaking and his voice had a quiver that Clark had never heard before. Bruce glared at him, looking nothing like a loyal personal slave. He looked far more like he should be the Dominus in training, or at least a Master. Bruce had never been especially good at being a slave. He was far too intelligent and far too dominant for that. He was a nearly perfect match for Clark. His intelligence matched Clark's. His more serious nature balanced Clark's enthusiastic and somewhat impulsive nature. He'd taught Clark most of what he needed to know as a future Dominus. Mom taught him his manners but Bruce had taught him how to lead. So the glare made Clark wince. Bruce couldn't hurt him physically but the disapproval made him feel terrible.

"Seriously, I can't," Clark protested, pointing at the invitation from Lionel Luthor. "The invitation explicitly says that I have to bring a personal slave with me. Everyone knows that you're my personal slave. There aren't any other personal slaves in the family and it'll look really weird if you're not along. I'd have to bring proof that your back had been beaten raw or that you were on death's door, Bruce."

Bruce snatched up the invitation and read it. He stiffened and then his shoulders sagged. Bruce sighed and sat on the bed, putting his face in his hands. The invitation fluttered to the ground, forgotten. Clark rubbed his back, worried. He'd never managed to get anything substantial out of Bruce about his past before he was sold. When Clark was ten, he'd asked Mom about Bruce's slavery. He'd hated the thought that his best friend was a slave. Bruce was nearly Clark's older brother at that time, though Clark was already aware of the possibility of more between them. Most slaves were slaves as they paid off a debt, after which they were free. Some were born into slavery but that was quite rare in the Kansas territories. The only other option was convict slavery, which was a one-way thing. No convict was ever granted manumission. He'd hoped that Bruce's debt was almost paid off and had been devastated to find that it was more than Bruce could ever hope to pay off in his lifetime as a farmhand. He still didn't know where the debt had come from, despite his occasional questions. Since then he'd done what he could to help Bruce win his freedom back by paying him a higher than normal wage and taking him as his personal slave. Being Clark's personal slave also gave him much higher status and safety. Bruce would be free by the time he was forty-five, sooner if Clark had his way.

"I can't go, Clark," Bruce whispered, his eyes haunted as he finally met Clark's gaze. "You don't understand. I can't go."

"No, I don't understand," Clark said, still rubbing Bruce's back gently. "I want to. Why not?"

"He knows me," Bruce said, fear in his eyes before he looked away. "Lex knows me. We went to school together. You've got your set of disasters that would happen. So do I. If I go, he's going to recognize me and all hell will break loose. I can't be found, not under these circumstances."

"Damn," Clark breathed, biting his lip.

He had always suspected that Bruce came from a powerful family but for him to have gone to the same school as Lex Luthor implied that he was line direct or indirect for a very high ranking Dominus. He was supposed to be the same rank as Clark (or more probably higher rank). That meant he'd been sold illegally and his debt wasn't really his debt. Clark only knew of four occasions where that had happened in the last hundred years. When it was discovered it had meant the destruction of everyone involved, whether they'd helped the unjustly enslaved person or not. The Emperor tended to punish all involved in these cases to set an example.

"Okay," Clark said, worries and fears revolving in his head as he started planning how to handle it, "this is what we'll do. I'll dress extra nice and be flirty with Lex. You do your fade into the woodwork thing and keep your eyes down. We can't leave you home. That's not an option. But we can work hard to make me the center of attention instead of you."

"No!" Bruce barked, glaring at Clark. "That's not acceptable. You are not going to go in there and do something that might reveal your differences. As bad as Lex recognizing me might be, it would be far worse if House O'Neill found out about you."

"Debatable," Clark said, rolling his eyes. "But I wasn't going to use my powers. I was going to flirt, Bruce. I've been informed by people I trust that I'm relatively good looking and nice to be around when I put my mind to it."

Clark grinned as he startled Bruce into a laugh. It was just one bark of laughter but it was better than nothing. Clark drew Bruce back into his arms again, cuddling him. They were nearly the same size. Even after all these years, Bruce resisted Clark's cuddling for the most part. Clark set his forehead against Bruce's shoulder, breathing in his scent. If there was time, Clark would have loved to have a round before breakfast but he knew that there wasn't time. Bruce rumbled in his chest and rubbed a hand over Clark's hair. Clark smiled as he felt Bruce press a tender kiss against his ear.

He turned his head and captured Bruce's mouth, letting the kiss start out gentle, a little hesitant. Bruce was more often the dominant one in their sexual interactions, despite the fact that Clark enjoyed topping (a lot). Bruce was so much older, almost ten years older, that he naturally took the lead. He did it again in their kiss, catching Clark's neck and deepening the kiss into something far more serious. Clark moaned quietly, wrapping his arms around Bruce's waist. They tumbled back on the bed together, Bruce on top, holding Clark down with his weight and dominance. Clark's powers didn't matter in bed.

"Boys!" Mom called from downstairs just as Bruce's hand snaked into Clark's pajama bottoms. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Clark groaned loudly. Bruce laughed silently into Clark's neck, letting go of his erection. They shared an amused look and then a much quicker kiss. Bruce got up and held out a hand to Clark, his lips quirking in a little smile that said it was time to return to Master and slave, to their roles in the real world. Clark nodded, sighing as he took Bruce's hand.

"Be down in a minute, Mom," Clark called, standing and hugging Bruce.

"Let's pick something appropriate but sexy for you, Master Clark," Bruce said, putting on his best personal slave manners.

"Pick something that will make you jealous to have people looking at me," Clark said, laughing at Bruce's ferocious glare. "Hey, the point is to have everyone looking at me instead of you. That's the proper way to do it."

"I hate this," Bruce grumbled, going to the closet to sort through Clark's new 'Dominus-in-training' clothing for something that fit the bill.

Clark chuckled and fished through the drawers, getting under things and Bruce's plainest formal slave clothes. The black velvet tunic, black leggings, black socks and black sandals would work quite well. Clark chose the one that had black satin on the edges of the tunic instead of the silver edged one. It would do a better job of being unremarkable. He held them up for Bruce to approve.

"That will work, Master," Bruce said with a little nod.

"You know I really ought to get you something besides black to wear," Clark teased as he took the clothes that Bruce had chosen for him. "A nice bright red or blue tunic."

"Certainly not," Bruce declared, looking down his nose at Clark who snickered.

Clark ended up in deep blue trousers that were just a hair too tight in the crotch and rear, a silky red shirt that buttoned up the front and a short gold and black vest that outlined his shoulders and set off his abs. Bruce had a dark blue jacket to wear over that for when they went out but that would do for now. Clark blushed as he looked at himself in the mirror. Yeah, he was definitely going to be attracting everyone's eyes today. He looked at Bruce, nodding with satisfaction.

"You look good," Clark said, smiling. "Black really is your color."

The black of his clothing set off the burnished silver of Bruce's slave collar and cuffs, and gave his face a surprising amount of color and made his hair gleam. Bruce smiled; shrugging one shoulder as he absently adjusted his cuffs on his wrists. He went to the dresser and pulled out Clark's gold arm cuff.

"Don't forget this, Master," Bruce said, offering it to Clark.

"Damn," Clark sighed, wincing. "I always forget that thing. I suppose I should add the bracelet and necklace too, shouldn't I?"

"It would aid in the deception, Master," Bruce said, helping Clark settle the arm cuff on his bicep and then fastening Clark's necklace around his neck.

Clark nodded, settling the heavy gold chain comfortably so that the House Clark insignia rested just at the notch of his throat. His thick gold bracelet completed the set and made Clark feel overdressed. He didn't like wearing jewelry but once the Emperor had insisted on radio frequency identification chips being implanted into everyone in the Empire, Clark hadn't had a choice. His RFID chip was hidden in the arm cuff, exactly where it was supposed to be implanted.

"Just wish it was more comfortable to wear," Clark complained, fidgeting with it. "The lump presses just right on a pressure point."

"You're tough," Bruce said, snorting. "You'll survive."

Clark stuck his tongue out at Bruce. Bruce rolled his eyes and grabbed Clark's paperwork, jacket and PDA. They headed down for breakfast, leaving the bed unmade for now. Clark was sure that Bruce would slip back upstairs after breakfast and before it was time to leave so that he could make the bed. He hated leaving things for Mom to do. Clark was certainly going to slip outside and check on the various Houseless farm hands they had working on the farm before they left.

"You certainly dressed up today," Dad said, looking a little disgruntled about it.

"It's the first big meeting I have to go to," Clark said, shrugging. "I want to make a good first impression, Dad. I just hope that I don't trip and land flat on my face."

"You'll do fine, honey," Mom said, patting Clark's shoulder and giving Dad a stern look that made him wince and sip his coffee. "Bruce will be there and he'll make sure that you're all right."

Bruce nodded, eating his food with his normal single-minded concentration. Mom and Dad chatted about the projects for the day, which included plowing one of the fields, mucking the barn out and some serious spring cleaning for Mom. One of the hands would be helping her get the kitchen garden weeded out and ready for planting in a few weeks. Clark smiled as he listened to them. This was the sort of thing he liked. This was what he was good at. All that political nonsense that went along with being his grandfather's heir was so foreign. He'd rather stay on the farm and follow in Dad's footsteps.

"Better go brush your teeth, Clark," Dad said once breakfast was done. "It's a long drive to Metropolis and you can't cheat."

"Yes sir," Clark said, taking his dishes to the kitchen.

"I'll wash them," Mom said to Bruce with a smile. "You go make sure Clark's things are ready, Bruce."

"Yes, Mistress," Bruce said, smiling back at her. "We leave in half an hour, Master Clark."

"I'll be ready," Clark said, grinning at him. "Make sure I don't make a fool of myself, will you?"

"Always, Master Clark," Bruce said, smiling back.

+++++

Bruce kept his mouth resolutely shut as they were driven to Metropolis by Dominus William's personal chauffer. He'd sent a hover car, which was unusual. It made sense to Bruce though. Dominus William was trying to project more strength than House Clark really had. Bruce calculated the cost of the hover car and decided that it was likely rented or loaned for the event, rather than owned. He didn't see how House Clark could have afforded it. It was the newest model, with completely luxurious fixings inside. The leather seats were to be expected but gilding on all the handles and fixtures was too far over the top for House Clark. It also didn't fit at all with either Dominus William or Master Clark's sensibilities.

House Luthor controlled approximately two thirds of Metropolis. There were smaller Houses there, each with their walled compounds and independent power and water sources, but it was clear from the air exactly where the heart of Metropolis was. The Luthor tower was a great black armored glass and reinforced steel erection jutting up from the heart of House Luthor's territory. Other smaller buildings clustered around it but no other buildings were allowed to compete with it in size and grandeur. The closest to it in size and beauty was the Daily Planet building with its golden globe on the roof. Of course House Luthor owned it and the Daily Planet newspaper.

Bruce jumped as Master Clark's fingers wound into his hair and then trailed down the back of his neck to his collar. He let himself be pulled against Master Clark's leg so that he could pet Bruce's hair. Bruce could feel Master Clark's fingers trembling as they circled and then came in to land outside of the Luthor tower. He felt better knowing that Master Clark needed him to deal with the nervousness of this first big meeting.

The Luthor tower seemed obscenely phallic once they stepped out of the hover car. There were lower block buildings in front of the entrance where everyone had to be scanned and searched. The Tower jutted up into the sky behind the buildings, a huge black mark against the sky. Bruce couldn't help but compare it against stately Wayne Mansion. There was no grace or style here, just raw power asserting itself in the vain attempt to seem more than it was in reality.

"Name, sir?" the guard asked as Master Clark led Bruce into the building.

"Master Clark Kent of House Clark," Master Clark said, smiling at the guard.

Bruce bristled inside as the guard smiled back. He kept his eyes low, not wanting to cause Master Clark trouble by being impudent, but the way the guard smiled made Bruce's jealousy rear up. Of course, the way Master Clark's clothes clung to his body did the same thing. And the way that everyone's eyes seemed to lock onto Master Clark the instant he showed up. He hated sharing Master Clark with anyone, especially strangers.

"Clark of House Clark?" the guard said with a teasing grin as he scanned Master Clark's arm over the arm cuff that hid his RFID.

"Yeah," Master Clark said, rolling his eyes. "My mom never thought I'd inherit so she gave me the name. I'm going to get teased about that for the rest of my life."

Bruce submitted silently to his scanning, shifting all of the papers and files that he was carrying for Master Clark to his other arm. The guard chatted with Master Clark about how he'd come to be heir for the House, looking delighted and impressed by Master Clark's good nature. Bruce was completely ignored thank goodness. They headed inside, a second guard showing them the way to the elevator where Dominus William waited impatiently for them, his personal slave kneeling by his feet.

"Finally," Dominus William said. "Everyone else has already gone up. What took so long?"

"Sorry Grandfather," Master Clark said, blushing. "The driver circled for quite a while before we landed. I assumed that it was because he was waiting for clearance."

Bruce didn't think that William's temper had improved at all when he was chosen as the Dominus for House Clark. Granted, his treatment of those around him was still fair but the snappishness that had prompted Mistress Martha to demand Bruce when he was a child had only worsened with the elevation in power. Master Clark didn't seem to notice it, looking excited as he grinned and oggled at everything.

The elevator ride was uncomfortable for Bruce. Dominus William's slave clearly didn't feel that Bruce was an adequate personal slave for a future Dominus. His disapproval radiated off of him in waves that were nearly palpable. Of course he'd been purchased specifically for that purpose when William had become Dominus, so he was somewhat justified in that feeling. Dominus William pestered Master Clark with questions to ensure that he was ready for the meeting. Bruce's apprehension about seeing Lex again made him feel like someone was driving slivers under his fingernails. He so wished there was something he could do besides keep his eyes down and his mouth shut. Doing nothing was torture.

The floor with the meeting room was disgustingly opulent. The plush carpet felt several inches thick. The walls were elaborately decorated with murals and huge oil paintings. Every picture had huge heavy gilded frames around them. There was a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling that to Bruce's eye was a shade too big, hanging almost low enough to brush Master Clark's hair when he walked under it. The whole place reeked of new power, new money and inferiority complexes to Bruce, though Master Clark looked appropriately awed. Bruce could detect the hint of amusement in those overly wide eyes though. Master Clark wasn't as impressed as he seemed on first glance. Once the message was sent that they were all there, the doors to the meeting room were opened and Bruce was desperately grateful for the requirement for slaves to keep his eyes down. If he'd had to meet Dominus Lionel's eyes he would have laughed or shown his scorn instantly.

It was a throne room. The conference room table was arranged so that Dominus Lionel would sit on a much larger throne-like chair while the others sat in smaller, less impressive chairs. The slaves would kneel by their Master's sides, aiding as necessary and otherwise staying silent. Behind Lionel's throne there was a huge painting of the Emperor. It was at least three times larger than life and the artist had given the Emperor a ferocious glare. It was like having the Emperor glaring over Lionel's shoulder, emphasizing his authority over the others in the room.

"Welcome," Dominus Lionel said, pitching his voice in as deep a tone as possible. He held out his signet ring to them, demanding that they show the traditional respect for the ruling Dominus.

Dominus William stepped forward first with Master Clark at his heels. House Clark was the most powerful House allied with House Luthor so it was Dominus William's right to sit at Lionel's right hand. He didn't look very happy about it, but he didn't have the power or money to win their freedom from House Luthor so he knelt on one knee and brushed his lips over Lionel's ring. His slave followed and did obscience so deeply that his forehead pressed against the floor. Master Clark managed to look both massively awed and endearingly innocent as he repeated the gesture. Bruce saw it in the second or so before he did his obscience. He held it the bare minimum amount of time. When he straightened, he wanted to charge to his feet to defend Master Clark. Lionel smirked at Master Clark, resting a hand on his hair in a far too proprietary gesture that had Dominus William bristling nearly as badly as Bruce.

"Your grandson is quite…lovely, William," Dominus Lionel said, all but licking his lips as Clark blushed and ducked his head.

"Thank you, Dominus," Dominus William growled, glaring openly at Lionel.

"Thank you, Dominus," Clark said, bowing again.

As soon as Clark was released he stood and moved to Dominus William's side. He openly watched everyone else, especially Lex, as the other (far more minor) Dominus came forward and repeated the ritual of obedience. Once everyone had submitted to Lionel's authority they moved to take their seats at the conference table. Lex somehow managed to arrange to get Clark at his left, which meant that Bruce was stuck with kneeling between Master Clark's chair and Lex's chair. It was the exact place that Bruce hadn't wanted to be. Lex shouldn't have taken that chair. It should have been Lucas, unless Lex was in disgrace somehow and Lucas had risen in Lionel's favor. As the meeting progressed it became quite obvious to Bruce that Lex was in very much in disfavor, possibly deliberately.

He snarked to Master Clark in an undertone about Lionel's policies. He pointed out stupid ideas by the various Dominus in a sarcastic tone of voice. He questioned nearly everything that Lionel said, sometimes in such a scathing tone of voice that everyone winced, including Lionel. As the meeting progressed it was obvious that Lex was trying to goad his father into loosing his temper publicly. Master Clark started out a little wide-eyed at Lex's venom but he quickly settled down, watching and listening. He responded to the snarking with quiet, innocent flirting. He looked almost like a kicked puppy when Lex was sarcastic about something Dominus William reported. He looked sad and lost as Lex finally drove Lionel to snap at him. It was a masterful performance that Bruce was grateful he could only watch from the corners of his eyes as he wasn't allowed to look up.

"That is enough, Alexander!" Lionel finally snapped at him. "Be silent or I'll be forced to take firm action against you."

"Yes Father," Lex drawled, the words implying a roll of his eyes.

Bruce wondered if he had actually rolled his eyes but didn't dare look up. He was too busy fighting a smile that a slave shouldn't dare to show, no matter how amused he was. Lex's small female Asian slave was trying not to giggle.

"My title?" Lionel drawled right back at Lex.

"What? That's what 'dominus' means, isn't it?" Lex said, his voice going submissive and excessively polite. "You're the "father" to us all, dispensing your wisdom and guidance. You give us our homes, clothes and money and we give you our obedience."

There was a long pointed silence as Lionel and Lex glared each other down. Bruce had no idea what was said in their expressions during the long silence. He had chosen the slave's better course of wisdom and bowed so deeply that his head nearly touched the floor. He didn't straighten until after Lionel returned to the topic of discussion as if the spat with Lex had never occurred. The meeting progressed with far more quiet flirting between Master Clark and Lex. Bruce kept his head down, trying not to be noticed as he worked to control his jealously and temper. Eventually the meeting drew to a close, much to Bruce's relief.

"Thank goodness that's over," Lex murmured over Bruce's head. "I really hate these meetings."

"It was different," Master Clark whispered back. "Not what I was expecting at all. Um, were some of those items…legal?"

"Ah, that all depends on if we're caught before we're done," Lex whispered back to him. "If yes, then no, they're not legal. If they're not caught then obviously we can't have done anything too bad, now can we?"

Lionel stood, allowing the Dominus and Masters to stand, and then their slaves were able stand. Bruce was careful as he stood. His knees weren't unstable but his toes had been falling asleep by the end of the meeting. He stood without problems, as did Lex's slave. Dominus William's slave nearly went back down to his knees as his legs tried to give way, but he caught himself before it happened. Bruce strictly controlled his smirk. Sad that he was better at this than a slave specially bought for it was.

"Was this your first time in Metropolis?" Lex asked Master Clark.

"No, I came here once before but not to this part of town," Master Clark said, doing that look through the eyelashes thing that always turned Bruce's knees to jelly. "I wish that I had the time to see more of the town but I'm afraid we're supposed to head to Grandfather's house and go over some stuff now."

The eyelash look appeared to work just as well on Lex as it did on Bruce, which made Bruce having to battle against his instincts. He kept his eyes firmly on Lex's chest. He didn't let his jaw clench. He didn't tense his shoulders. He didn't rock forward on his toes to get read to bash Lex's face in. He couldn't help but clutching the stack of papers and files a little tighter, but that was all the physical reaction that he would allow himself.

"Next time you come to town call me," Lex offered, licking his lips as his breath went shaky in his chest. "I'd be glad to show you around town."

"I'd like that," Master Clark said. "Thank you so much!"

He beamed at Lex in a way that made Bruce's heart lurch. He seemed to mean it. The way that he and Lex were looking at each other was so intense that Bruce bit his tongue. He didn't want Master Clark to feel this way. Master Clark said he loved Bruce. He wasn't the sort to lie about something like that. But Bruce's dark inner voice started whispering doubts to him.

"He's a Master and you're nothing but a slave," the dark inner voice growled. "You can't expect him to be satisfied with a pushy slave for the rest of his life. You were his first love. It was inevitable that he'd meet a new love, someone who could be his equal. Why be so surprised that it's finally happened?"

Bruce tried to shove the dark voice away as Master Clark introduced Bruce so casually that it made it clear that his mind was elsewhere, probably inside of Lex's pants knowing Master Clark. Lex introduced his slave Lana with the same sort of flippancy. In Lana's case Bruce suspected that it was real instead of an act. Lana's expression as she completed her bow and straightened back up said more clearly than words that she was expecting to be replaced at any time. Lex didn't care for her any more than he would a pair of old shoes.

"Clark, time to go," Dominus William said from the door.

"Yes sir!" Master Clark said, smiling at Lex. "Hope to see you again, Master Alexander."

"Call me Lex," Lex said, one of his real smiles flitting across his lips. It was the sort that was there and gone again in an instant.

Master Clark led the way and just as they joined Dominus William Lex called out to them, startling Bruce to looking back at him far more directly than he should have.

"Good luck, Clark of House Clark," Lex said with a little nod to Clark and Bruce. He stood still and pale amongst all the grandiosity of his father's throne room, his eyes intent on Bruce as much as on Clark. "Call me."

"I will," Master Clark said, grinning.

Bruce followed Master Clark, his heart pounding as if it was trying to beat its way through his chest. He'd seen recognition in Lex's eyes when they'd met. He knew, Bruce thought as they rode the elevator back down to ground level. Lex knew who Bruce was. He'd been recognized and there was nothing that Bruce could do. He couldn't even tell Master Clark because Dominus William was there. And there was the driver of the hover car, and strange guards around them who belonged to Lionel. He couldn't do anything but wait for their return home. Even then there wasn't anything that he could do but hopefully Master Clark would be able to do something. Bruce doubted it. It all came down to whether or not Lex would destroy them all by revealing Bruce to the world.

+++++

"I am so glad to be back home," Clark sighed as they headed into the martial arts training dojo in the school gym. "The meeting was interesting but I much prefer it here at home."

"Yes Master," Bruce said, his voice so excessively bland that it made Clark look at him sharply.

Bruce shook his head no, his eyes full of worry about something. There wasn't much that either of them could say right now. Bruce had his martial arts training. Clark had his military command class. There were other kids and the instructors and a bunch of slaves learning to be bodyguards. There wasn't any way to talk about it right now. Besides, Clark was pretty sure Bruce was worrying about Lex. If it hadn't been a training afternoon Clark would have taken them home but you didn't miss training with the House O'Neill trainer. Teal'c made it hurt when you did. Clark wasn't sure how Teal'c did it but he even managed to hurt Clark from time to time.

"Master Clark," Teal'c said, bowing respectfully as Clark and Bruce entered the training hall.

"Teacher," Clark said bowing back as Bruce smoothly knelt, touched his head to the floor and then stood again. "I give my slave Bruce into your care for his training."

"I accept the responsibility," Teal'c said gravely.

He always said it gravely, taking the responsibility for the slaves in his care with the utmost seriousness. Clark never worried about Bruce when Teal'c was there, beyond the bruises he got from training. Bruce was as safe or safer with Teal'c as he was with Clark, which was very important to Clark since House Luthor had taken over the area. There were so many disappearances and so many House Luthor bullies who thought 'slave' equaled 'free to abuse' that Clark didn't relax unless he and Bruce were at home together. At least Teal'c made sure the slaves in his class were never abused or teased.

Of course, he still worried about Teal'c himself. Teal'c was House O'Neill, a special bodyguard slave to Dominus Jack O'Neill, so everyone in town was exceptionally careful around him. The Emperor had a continuing interest in the meteor mutant incidents in town. House O'Neill was the best in the world at dealing with 'weird incidents' and Smallville excelled in weird ever since the meteor shower. They'd managed to keep most of the problems under wraps since Clark was twelve and his powers started developing, but someone had tipped House O'Neill off after House Luthor took over House Clark (possibly Dominus William had done it), so everyone in Smallville faced triple threats every day. There were the various meteor mutant issues. There was the fear of being found out and captured by House Luthor and there was the even greater fear of being found out and 'processed' by House O'Neill. A lot of what Clark did in town was deal with the meteor mutant issues under the table so that neither House Luthor nor House O'Neill would find out.

Clark patted Bruce's shoulder reassuringly as he headed for his place in the training lineup, and then headed into the classroom attached to the dojo for his class. Bruce always taught Clark all the moves he learned in class, and Clark always taught Bruce the strategies he'd learned in his class. It worked fairly well, though Clark thought Bruce was better at both strategy and hand-to-hand combat. Clark listened with half an ear to the lecture and with the other half to the grunts and flesh-on-flesh impacts of Bruce's training in the other room. It wasn't that the subject matter was uninteresting—Clark actually found it fascinating—it was that he was worried about Bruce and Lex's odd reaction just before they'd left the Dominus meeting.

Clark was fairly sure that Lex had noticed something about Bruce. He wasn't sure. Lex had spent so much time flirting with Clark that it might just have been a bit of jealousy that Bruce was with Clark all the time. He didn't know. At the very least it looked like things were all right for the moment. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened after the meeting, so Clark had to assume that any suspicions that Lex harbored had been kept to himself. Clark hoped that Lex would come to him before saying anything to his father or the Emperor's Guard. He was pretty sure that he could talk Lex out of doing something dangerous, and that Lex would enjoy it. Fantasies of how he'd 'convince' Lex flitted through Clark's mind, only to be cut short when there was a huge explosion followed by screams outside of the gym.

"Stay here!" Clark snapped at everyone else. "I'll go deal with whatever it is."

They did as they were told, responding automatically to Clark's future authority over them as House Clark Dominus. Teal'c had already run from the room to investigate what had happened. Clark scanned the dojo, cursing under his breath when he saw several people he knew to be meteor mutants there.

"Bruce, get them out of here," Clark said, catching his arm. "We can't let House O'Neill scan them!"

"Yes Master," Bruce said, nodding agreement. "Get out there and deal with Teal'c. You know that he has to be calling House O'Neill as we speak."

"No kidding," Clark groaned, shaking his head. "We really don't need this, not after last week's incident. Hurry."

They split forces, Bruce getting everyone (especially the meteor mutants) out of the dojo and to safety. The mutants would be sent into the tunnels that ran under town. They'd come up on the Kent Farm, where Mom and Dad would pretend that they'd been all along. There had been enough incidents where House O'Neill seized meteor mutants and then 'processed' them that everyone in town knew it was certain death to be taken by O'Neill's troops. No one knew exactly what 'processed' meant but since no one ever returned from being 'processed' they assumed it was a painful death by experimentation, similar to what happened when House Luthor troops caught a meteor mutant. At least people sometimes returned from Lionel's labs. No one ever did from House O'Neill's processing center.

"What happened?" Clark called as he ran (at normal speed) up to Teal'c.

"It appears that there has been another incident," Teal'c said gravely, his blaster-staff in one hand as he tucked his cell phone into a pocket with the other hand. "I have called House O'Neill. They are sending reinforcements and a clean up crew immediately."

"I hope it's not the R.O.U.S.'s," Clark said, making a face. "Those things are so hard to deal with."

"The what?" Teal'c asked, raising an eyebrow at Clark in surprise.

Clark opened his mouth to reply but there was another explosion just up the street. It looked to Clark like the telephone pole had suddenly turned into a high explosive. He dove for the ground, as did Teal'c. Clark covered his head even though it wasn't necessary in his case. He scanned for whatever had caused the explosion. This was a bad one, even for Smallville. He gasped and pointed at the very strange looking green-furred dog that trotted out of the dust cloud from the explosion.

"That!" Clark said, pointing the dog out to Teal'c. "That's what did it."

"It is a dog," Teal'c said, looking confused.

"That's what did it," Clark declared, stiffening as the dog sniffed at another telephone pole and then raised it's leg. "Oh no."

Once the dog was done peeing it trotted away. The telephone pole creaked, the wood changing color as the seconds ticked by. Then it exploded too, spraying shards over the area. Teal'c muttered something under his breath that Clark didn't understand, his eyes dark with frustration or maybe anger. Clark shrugged and got to his feet.

"Told you it was the dog," Clark said with a tired sigh. "We have to catch it before it causes any more destruction. Who knows what'll happen if it has to poop."

"There are times when I hate this town," Teal'c said with an equally tired sigh.

"Yeah, but at least we have good food, right?" Clark said, grinning at Teal'c's annoyed look.

"When the food is not attacking one, yes," Teal'c said. "This is the only place I have ever been where the food rises up and attacks one literally."

"It wasn't the food's fault," Clark protested, craning his neck to look for the dog. "It was being controlled by that frog."

Teal'c muttered whatever it was under his breath again, shaking his head as he headed after the mutant dog. Clark thought it might be a curse but he couldn't imagine Teal'c cursing so it was probably just a complaint about Smallville's trademark weirdness. Clark tried to help capture the dog without using his powers but it seemed to regard having a bunch of people chasing it as the best game ever. A large House O'Neill flyer appeared about fifteen minutes into the chase, complete with a highly irritated Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. He joined the chase, landing in a mud puddle on one near capture, a rose bush on a second and then under a pile of debris after another explosion.

It took two hours, seventeen exploded telephone poles, one crater in the middle of Main Street, and a box full of dog biscuits held in Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell's hand as he hung out of a House O'Neill flyer by his ankles to lure the mutant dog into a trap that actually held it. Once the dog (along with lots of treats, some food and a squeaky toy the dog appeared to love) had been very carefully taken to the House O'Neill flyer, Mitchell stomped over and shoved the box of treats into Clark's hands. Bruce was back with him, as he had long since gotten anyone in danger of being discovered to safe locations.

"You know," Mitchell said, glaring at Clark, "I don't know how you people keep doing this but there is more weirdness in this town than pretty much anywhere else I've ever been. Whatever the hell it is that you're doing, you need to stop."

"It's not exactly something that we do," Clark protested. "There's something about Smallville that sort of changes things."

"All I have to say is that I better not get dragged out here to deal with any of your problems anytime soon," Cameron said, trying to brush the mud off of his uniform. His efforts ground it in deeper. "Is there anything else we should worry about while we're here?"

"Um, well we could use a little help with the R.O.U.S.'s," Clark said thoughtfully. "They've started expanding into the east side of town and they're awfully hard to kill."

Teal'c and Cameron exchanged wary looks before turning back to Clark and Bruce. Clark met their looks with his very best innocent, 'I really don't want to bother you but since you asked' look. Clark could almost hear Bruce's amusement behind him but he didn't dare look or he'd start laughing. They truly could use some help with the R.O.U.S.'s. The recent population boom had taken everyone by surprise.

"What, and I ask this very hesitantly given your history, is a 'R.O.U.S.'?" Cameron asked, looking very tired and very annoyed.

"It's a Rodent Of Unusual Size," Clark explained holding his hands out about a yard apart. "They're about this big, minus the tails. Green fur, glowing eyes, really hard to kill. They don't normally come into town. They like living in the marshy area around Crater Lake, but there's been a population boom and they've discovered garbage cans are good food sources so we're worried that they're going to take over people's houses and attack small pets and really little kids."

"They're that big and you're handling them by yourselves?" Cameron gasped, staring at Clark's spread hands in horror.

"Sure, they're not that bad," Clark said with a shrug. "They just knock over garbage cans, smell bad and gnaw on house foundations sometimes. It's sort of like getting a skunk under the house: a nuisance but not really a danger."

Cameron groaned, his chin dropping to his chest. Teal'c shut his eyes for a long moment. Clark thought that he might be counting to himself. After a long moment where everyone waited for the explosion, Cameron sighed, pulling his head up to fix a look on Clark. Clark blushed. It really wasn't that big of a deal. The R.O.U.S.'s weren't that dangerous, just annoying and hard to kill.

"Are there any other mutated things around here that you haven't told us about?" Cameron asked, enunciating every syllable extremely carefully.

"Well, yeah," Clark said, shuffling his feet with embarrassment. "There's the strangle weed out in Crater Lake but that doesn't hurt anyone. It just kind of squeezes if you get too close while you're swimming. It's all roped off and no one goes there. It's not even a danger to little kids who're swimming. No strength at all in the squeezes and it looses interest quickly if you're calm. Oh, and there's the green roses up at the Luthor mansion but that's just one rose bush."

"Strangle weed," Cameron said his voice flat.

"Mmm-hmm," Clark said, nodding. "Harmless. Just odd."

"Roses?"

"They're green and the sap turns you invisible," Clark said, shrugging. "Also drives you crazy for a little while but everyone knows about them and they're fenced off so that no one gets too close. Not at all like the Nicodemus flower incident we had a few months back. That was nasty but they're all destroyed now so it's not an issue."

"Roses…invisible?" Cameron spluttered, staring at Clark in horror. "And what's this Nicodemus thing?"

Clark sighed. He probably shouldn't have mentioned that but given that they'd torched the entire field where the flowers were growing and were keeping it mowed down there wasn't any chance of anyone getting hurt by them. Teal'c was shaking his head slowly as if he couldn't quite believe that Clark was really this causal about it, but they were normal parts of life in Smallville. Outsiders wouldn't understand.

"It was a flower—that's ancient by the way, not something that we created—whose pollen causes an allergic reaction that causes the people who breath it to lose their inhibitions, get violent and then die as their bodies collapse. We figured out what it was and how to treat it with the help of the Kawatche Indians and then torched the field where they were growing. Like I said, they're not an issue anymore."

"Stop!" Cameron said, cutting Clark off with a wave of his hand. "Okay. You're idea of 'not an issue' and House O'Neill's idea of 'not an issue' are not even on the same planet. Every single one of those things should have been reported the instant they were noticed. I can't believe you thought you could hide them!"

"Hide what?" Clark snapped at him, drawing himself up to his full height to glare down at Cameron. "The R.O.U.S.'s have been around since I was three years old. The strangle weed has been there since my father was a baby. The Nicodemus flowers appear to have been there for several centuries! And thank you, we did report that incident to House Luthor, who we report to. We don't report to House O'Neill, no matter how important the Emperor thinks you guys are in dealing with weird events. Smallville and House Clark have been dealing with these things in our own way for generations. Don't come barging in here and acting like you've got a headlock on the 'one true way' of handling weirdness. We do what we do and when it gets too much for us to handle locally, we pass it up the chain of command. That's what we're supposed to do. If you have issues with how House Luthor reports the incidents to your Dominus, talk to them. Don't get in our faces about it when we're the ones with telephone poles blowing up because a dog peed on them!"

Cameron rocked back on his heels as Clark yelled at him. Teal'c was doing his exceedingly polite smile-that-wasn't-a-smile that usually meant that he was thinking about how many ways he could pound you into the ground. The House O'Neill troops behind them looked offended but all the Smallville folk around them were nodding agreement. It was bad enough having to live with all the strangeness in Smallville. To have outsiders come in and tell you years after the fact that you got it wrong was annoying.

"Fine," Cameron growled, glaring at Clark. "We'll take it up with House Luthor. I'll have my men work with yours on the rodent issue. I expect that those roses will be dug up and transported to House O'Neill. And hopefully we can do something about the strangle weed so your lake is safe."

"It's a three yard by four yard patch in a marshy part of the lake that's only good for breeding frogs," Clark said dismissively. "Leave it alone. It doesn't hurt anyone and it's more work than it's worth to dig the stuff up. We've tried. It didn't work. The weed just grows back. We'll have someone dig up the roses right away so you can take them back with you. Have fun with them but be careful if you get the sap on you. It really does destabilize the mind."

"Fine," Cameron growled.

"Fine."

They glared at each other for a long moment and then Cameron turned and headed for his men, grumbling. Teal'c bowed respectfully before following Cameron. At least he seemed to remember that Clark outranked everyone else here. Clark let out a long slow breath, letting the aggravation go at the same time. It had to be frustrating for Cameron and Teal'c to deal with these problems all the time, but what was, was. Bruce stepped forward enough to be visible from the corner of Clark's eye. Clark turned and then chuckled at the amusement and admiration in his eyes.

"Very nicely done, Master," Bruce said quietly.

"They were annoying me," Clark said with a sheepish shrug. "None of those issues other than the exploding dog were really dangerous. Of course, I suppose this means House Luthor's going to be landing on us for a while."

"It can't be helped, Master," Bruce said, the calm way he said it communicating more clearly than words that Mom and Dad were already working on making sure everyone would be safe when Lionel sent in his people. "Shall we help them out with the R.O.U.S.'s?"

"Yup," Clark said, nodding. He looked at the rapidly darkening sky. "At least they're easier to see at night. I hope we get a chance to get some sleep tonight. It's been a long day."

They headed over to get everyone organized for a R.O.U.S. hunt. It would probably take a few hours to reduce the R.O.U.S. population to a more sustainable level. Clark didn't think they'd ever manage to completely wipe the rodents out. They were part of the Smallville ecosystem and they bred fast enough that a single pair would repopulate the area pretty quickly. It didn't really matter anyway. The important thing had been getting all the human meteor mutants to safety so that they wouldn't be 'processed', along with protecting the Houseless workers in town. That was accomplished so getting help with the R.O.U.S.'s was just a bonus.

+++++

"Home," Bruce sighed gratefully as he held the door of the car for Master Clark.

"No kidding," Clark said, stretching and making a face. "I really hate R.O.U.S. hunts. Smelly, messy, exhausting…bleh!"

Bruce nodded, following Master Clark into the house. They were both covered with mud and twigs. Master Clark's clothes were torn in several places. Bruce's were as well, though he had bruises and scratches underneath the torn clothes, unlike Master Clark. They were better off than the House O'Neill troops that had helped in the hunt but not by much. The R.O.U.S. population had been dramatically reduced and the east side of town was now clear of them. At the end of the hunt, Teal'c had declared the R.O.U.S.'s to be 'worthy opponents', which probably had something to do with the nasty bite on his arm he'd received. Cameron's comments had been entirely profane as they left.

"Sweetie?" Martha said from her bedroom door upstairs. "You're finally home?"

"Sorry Mom, I didn't mean to wake you," Master Clark said. "We're home. Had a R.O.U.S. hunt."

"Yes, I heard," Martha said. She smiled at them and then winced as she saw the mess they were tracking in. "We got the message when we hid the Houseless workers and the metas. Expect to see a few new faces tomorrow when you get up. We had to shuffle some of the Houseless around, just in case Lionel sends someone in."

Bruce nodded, as did Master Clark. It was standard operating procedure. A few years ago, House Luthor had sent out a proclamation that no Houseless workers were to be employed in any of his people's endeavors for more than one week. The reasoning he cited was 'an inability to trust those who cannot maintain House affiliation'. At the same time he'd shut down everyone's ability to be brought into the House as anything but debt slaves, which most Houseless considered to be worse. At least as Houseless people they had the opportunity to travel (through the underground or after saving enough money to buy a three-times-as-expensive-as-normal train ticket) to other House territories where they could start over. As a slave they were trapped with whatever the Dominus chose to pay them. Lionel chose to pay Houseless turned slaves the bare minimum, which meant that they'd be slaves forever, not earning enough money to pay off their education, housing, food and clothing costs. As a result, Martha and the local farmers who relied on the Houseless as farm hands set up a system to shuffle the Houseless around so that they were never in the same place for long. No one wanted another roundup and mass execution.

"Expected that," Clark said with a sigh. "We're going to get cleaned up. Go back to bed. We ate already so you don't need to worry."

"All right sweetie," Martha said, looking relieved that they were going to stop tracking mud and debris into her house. "Leave your clothes. I'll take care of them in the morning."

She headed back to bed. Master Clark led the way up to the bathroom, being as careful as he could not to get dirt on the floor. Bruce grinned as Master Clark hovered and carefully, awkwardly, clumsily flew up the stairs rather than climb them. Any practice at all on the flying issue was good as far as Bruce was concerned, though this was a novel method of getting some practice in. He didn't have the option to fly so he took off his boots before climbing the stairs. He had no intention of leaving his boots or Master Clark's boots for Martha to deal with. The clothes certainly, as laundry remained her preserve, but their boots were his to deal with.

"Give me the boots," Bruce said quietly out of respect for Martha and Jonathan's bedroom a few steps away.

"Mmm-hmm," Clark said, his tongue peeking out between his lips as he hovered and carefully tugged them off to avoid dirtying the floor.

"Go ahead Master, I'll be right in," Bruce said, nodding towards the bathroom.

"Join me?" Clark asked, settling back down to the floor with a sigh of relief. He was getting better about flying but obviously still hated it.

"Of course," Bruce said, grinning wickedly. "Someone has to get the mud out of your hair."

Clark laughed, heading into the bathroom to strip and start getting clean. Bruce took their boots to the bedroom and stripped out of his clothes. It was the work of a minute to run his clothes and Master Clark's discarded clothes down to the laundry. He set them to the side away from the regular laundry. No need to contaminate the rest of the laundry with that mess. Then he hurried back upstairs and into the bathroom, grateful that it was the middle of the night and no one was awake to see him running errands naked while covered in mud.

"Almost clean, Master?" Bruce asked, making a face at the pile of dried mud that Master Clark's clothes had left by the toilet. He'd have to remember to sweep that up before they left the bathroom.

"Mostly," Master Clark said from behind the shower curtain. "Coming in?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Master," Bruce said, peeking and then climbing into the shower behind Master Clark.

Master Clark smiled at Bruce over his shoulder, continuing to shampoo his hair. Soap bubbles and water cascaded down his back, highlighting the muscles that highlighted his body. He'd been a skinny boy but as his powers woke, Master Clark had put on more muscle than most body builders. Master Clark turned, giving Bruce an eyeful of his front. Bruce smiled, reaching to run his hands over Master Clark's chest. Master Clark laughed, shaking his head no as he rinsed the shampoo out.

"Oh no you don't," Master Clark said with a grin. "I'm clean. You're still dirty. Into the spray with you and I'll take care of you for once."

"Master," Bruce growled, annoyed that the chance to grope had been taken away.

"Move you," Master Clark ordered, sliding past Bruce in a deliberately provocative brush of wet flesh. "Cleanliness first, fun later."

Bruce did as he was told. He grumbled but he did it. The water was too cold for Bruce so he turned the temperature up and winced as the water impacted his bruises and scratches. The water swirling around his feet was brown so Master Clark was probably right about getting clean first. He rinsed and soaped his body quickly, trying to reduce the amount of mud on his body. Bruce ducked his head under the spray and then moaned as Master Clark started working shampoo into his hair. It took two rounds with the shampoo and quite a lot of soap to get Bruce properly clean. Master Clark needed a quick rinse to get the remaining mud and soap off. Once they were as clean as they were going to get, Master Clark pressed up against Bruce's back, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"I was worried about you," Master Clark whispered, his body warm against Bruce's back. "Lex looked at you, right at you, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking. You were so nervous all day and we couldn't talk about it around Grandfather. And then Teal'c and Cameron and the R.O.U.S. hunt kept us from talking. I don't want anything to happen to you. I want to keep you safe forever."

"You can't," Bruce said, the darkness inside of him making his voice rougher than normal. "I can't stay forever, Master. I have to…I have things I have to do. I'm learning what I need here, gathering strength for my Mission, but this is only one stop along my path in life. I won't always be here for you."

"You're here now," Master Clark sighed, his arms tightening ever so slightly around Bruce's waist. They'd had this conversation often enough that Master Clark no longer clung to him like a burr when Bruce reminded him that he'd be leaving someday.

"Yes," Bruce breathed, turning off the water before turning around in Master Clark's arms to kiss him deeply. "I am here now. I think we should go to bed."

"As long as it's not to sleep," Master Clark said, his voice going husky as his hands traced Bruce's body.

"No sleep," Bruce said, shivering at the way Master Clark's hands avoided every scratch and bruise while tracing Bruce's body with exquisite care.

They dried each other off and stumbled back to the bedroom while kissing each other passionately. Bruce's exhaustion fell away rapidly as he listened to Master Clark's needy whimpers. As soon as Master Clark had reached the age of consent, Martha and Jonathan had soundproofed Master Clark's bedroom. Sex between a Master and his slave was normal and expected, but that didn't mean that Martha and Jonathan wanted to hear their son doing it. Once the door was shut they were safe from all but the loudest shouts carrying to Master Clark's parent's ears.

"Want you," Master Clark moaned, backing towards the bed and then tripping when his calves hit the end of it. He sprawled on the bed, naked, his legs spread invitingly in the moonlight.

"How does my Master want me?" Bruce asked, fairly certain he knew the answer from the way Master Clark moaned and hitched up his knees.

"In me," Master Clark breathed, his breath shuddering in his chest. "Want you to take me. You always do it so well. Want you in me!"

"As my Master wishes," Bruce whispered, crawling up the bed between Master Clark's legs.

Bruce bit his way up Master Clark's inner leg, using a good firm bite and firm touches. As Master Clark's invulnerability had grown, his sensitivity to gentle touches had decreased. There were still areas on his body that were wonderfully sensitive, like his groin and nipples, but most of his body needed more powerful touches. Bruce gave Master Clark what he needed, chuckling as the bottle of lube appeared by his hand.

"Greedy, Master," Bruce rumbled, taking it and starting to work it into Master Clark's ass.

"Want you," Master Clark complained, shuddering as Bruce's fingers breached him.

"Roll over," Bruce whispered in the voice of his inner darkness, "and I'll give you what you want."

Master Clark whined, his skin almost silver in the light of the moon. He rolled over, letting Bruce do whatever he wanted to him. Bruce kissed his back and continued to loosen Master Clark, taking his time. Despite the disparity in their ages Master Clark was a naturally dominant lover. For him to submit this fully was a gift that came quite rarely. He usually bottomed to Bruce, as Bruce tended to be more dominant that Master Clark, but it was bottoming, not complete submission like now.

"So beautiful in the moonlight," Bruce murmured, his fingers finding Master Clark's prostate or whatever internal organ it was that set of the same reactions for him. It wasn't in exactly the same place as it would be for a human but it was close enough.

"Yes!" Master Clark gasped, his back arching. "More! Please more…"

Bruce smiled and continued his patient work. Master Clark shuddered, his hands spread wide on the covers so that he wouldn't tear them. He kept whimpering, begging quietly for Bruce to take him, to give him more, to fill him up. It wasn't until Master Clark looked over his shoulder with eyes that flashed red that Bruce moved to press into him. Master Clark's eyes shut tight and he groaned, dropping his head to the pillow.

"Too much?" Bruce asked, pausing once he was fully in.

"No!" Master Clark gasped. "More!"

"I always worry I'll hurt you," Bruce said as he began to move. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Doesn't hurt," Master Clark panted, holding still and letting Bruce do whatever he wanted rather than taking control as he normally did. "Doesn't hurt, feels good, so good, more, please more, please, please Bruce, need you, want you!"

"Going to make me come far too quickly talking like that," Bruce growled in his voice of darkness. "No talking!"

Master Clark whined but he stopped talking. Bruce cursed, pounding into his ass far harder than he intended. Master Clark stayed silent other than pants and whimpers, yielding his body and soul up for Bruce to take care of. Bruce did his best to be worthy of the trust, bringing Master Clark to a quick orgasm and then slowly drawing him back up to the heights for a second, much more powerful one that had the bed bouncing and them both panting for breath. He only allowed himself to come once Master Clark had his second orgasm.

They collapsed together on the bed, Bruce making a mental note to change the bedspread before they went to sleep. Master Clark didn't need the blanket and the wet spot wouldn't bother him very much but Bruce would be uncomfortable with it. Master Clark pulled Bruce close, burying his face in Bruce's neck the way he used to when he was little. Bruce smiled, petting Master Clark's hair as their hearts and breathing slowed.

"He knows who I am," Bruce said once they'd both calmed and the silence had stretched too long for comfort. "He knows my real name and who I'm supposed to be."

"We'll deal with it," Master Clark murmured into Bruce's neck. "He doesn't seem like a bad guy, Bruce. I can see traces of kryptonite in him. I scanned him at the meeting when I realized that his baldness wasn't from shaving his hair. He's one of us, a meteor mutant. A meta. He's got things to hide too, not just whatever his powers are but also his father's machinations. He may have something on you but we've got things on him and his father. It will be all right."

"Hmm, I always did wonder about his hair," Bruce said, relaxing a little. "That would explain a lot."

"Sleep?" Master Clark asked, yawning and shifting so that he could look into Bruce's eyes.

"Sleep is good," Bruce said, smiling as he ran a finger down Master Clark's cheek. His tanned skin looked dark against Master Clark's almost luminous skin. "Just need to change the bedspread."

"Let me," Master Clark said with a quick grin.

There was a whoosh of air as Bruce found himself displaced and then under the covers. The soiled bedspread was neatly folded in the corner of the room and another clean one was settling over them a second later. Master Clark snuggled back up under the covers, wrapping himself around Bruce's body. Bruce chuckled, kissing him gently. So many years later and so much had happened to them both but Master Clark's sunny nature hadn't changed at all.

"Night," Master Clark whispered with a bone-cracking yawn.

"Good night, Master," Bruce whispered, settling in to sleep.

+++++

Lex hummed as he sped down the road from Metropolis to Smallville. He really ought not be this happy about being summarily exiled to Smallville, but he couldn't help it. He chuckled at how well things had worked out. It couldn't have gone better if he'd planned it himself. Instead of having to manipulate his father into sending him away, he'd been able to take advantage of circumstances when they presented themselves. Lex wished he could send Dominus Jack O'Neill a thank you card. This was one of the best things that had happened to Lex in a long while.

He got to go see Clark of House Clark again, a fact that made Lex grin wider and press the accelerator down just a hair further. The boy was gorgeous, sexy and incredibly smart behind his small-town flirtatious ways. He hid his intelligence quite well, using good manners, devastatingly long eyelashes and skin-hugging clothes to portray a very convincing playboy being forced to be a Master and future Dominus. Lex had almost believed it, but Clark's questions were too insightful and his eyes far too alert for a true playboy. Lex was looking forward to seeing what else Clark was capable of, especially in bed. Their flirtation at the meeting had promised so much. Lex was looking forward to seeing if those promises would be followed through on.

Added to the enticement of Clark Kent, there was the mystery of Bruce Wayne. Bruce's disappearance when they were younger had been an enduring puzzle that no one had been able to solve. The Emperor was very interested in his fate, though as far as Lex could determine everyone except House Wayne believed that the last surviving member of the Wayne Line Direct had died shortly after his parents were murdered. Seeing Bruce at Clark's side had been a shock. Realizing that he was a slave hadn't been. It was the logical way of getting rid of a child who was in your way on the path to power. That Bruce apparently served willingly was the part that confused Lex. He couldn't quite wrap his head around Bruce Wayne calling anyone 'Master'. Even as a small boy he'd been the quintessential Dominus-in-Training.

The final reason for his good mood sat next to Lex in his car, clutching the seat in hands that would probably crush steel if given half a chance. The lovely little Lana had been foisted off on Lucas and Lex had finally gotten to choose a personal slave who was useful instead of being a brainless, ornamental bit of fluff. Mercy was tall, icy, and as intimidating a bodyguard as Lex had ever seen. She was also startlingly efficient at keeping Lex organized, but that was merely an unexpected benefit. Mostly Lex wanted someone who could protect him from the various monsters and freaks that populated Smallville. Her ability to keep him in line was probably something that his father had planned for, rather than anything deeper about her character.

"Sir," Mercy growled, her nails nearly tearing the leather upholstery of her seat, "slow down."

"I'm not going that fast," Lex protested, easing up on the accelerator minutely as Mercy gave him a glare that said she knew at least eighteen ways to kill him without unbuckling her seatbelt. "Besides, there's no one else on the road."

"I don't care," Mercy growled, earning another few miles per hour with the ferocity of that growl. "If you were in that much of a hurry to get there, you should have flown."

"I hate flying," Lex grumbled, easing the speed up a hair and then back down again as Mercy's eyes narrowed at him.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, playing a game of testing the boundaries. Lex would speed up until Mercy gave him a look or a growl or her nails curled into the leather just so and then Lex would slow down until she'd almost relaxed. They'd go another few miles and the speed would edge up again. Lex found it invigorating. Mercy apparently found it aggravating because when they got there she immediately started scanning for assailants instead of holding his door as she should have. Lex let it go. He'd heard entirely too many stories about the monsters of Smallville to object to her vigilance.

They headed into the mansion where the servants had started cleaning things up. Lionel had sent them ahead the previous day when they'd gotten the message about the latest House O'Neill incident in Smallville. Somehow R.O.U.S. hunts and exploding dogs had elicited the strongest warning statement from House O'Neill that Lex had ever seen, despite the relatively minor nature of the occurrences. It made Lex wonder why his father insisted on keeping House Clark and their territory under the house umbrella but Lionel always insisted that Lex simply didn't see the big picture. 'Big picture' tended to be Lionel's code words for 'illegal and unethical projects carried out away from the public eye', so Lex intended to be very careful while in Smallville.

"All right," Lex said as his things were brought in and he'd been shown to the room that Lionel had set up as an office, "a few changes and this will be perfect. Change the desk out for my desk and bring my pool table in. I want a fire in the fireplace at all times and does anyone know where I can find Clark Kent?"

"The desk will be changed immediately," Mercy said, nodding to the staff to get to work. "They're already shipping over your pool table. I'll notify the staff about the fire personally when I review the security arrangements for the mansion. And Master Clark Kent lives on the Kent farm outside of town."

"He lives on a farm?" Lex asked, staring at Mercy who smirked at him, her eyes narrowed as she said without words he'd earned that little shock with his behavior during the drive.

It was a very nice farm, Lex thought as he slowly drove up the lane about an hour later. Clean, well maintained, and apparently staffed by Houseless people if their worn, battered clothes were any indication. Lex had no issues with that. The Houseless workers in the yard scurried out of sight behind the barn or house, one of them running into the barn, probably to notify whoever was in charge. This time Mercy did hold his door, watching as an older man with graying ginger hair stomped out of the barn and headed straight for Lex.

"What are you doing here, Luthor?" the man demanded.

"Ah, I'm looking for Master Clark," Lex said, surprised at the ferocity. Normally people didn't react that way until they'd gotten to know him and he'd never met this man before. "We met at the meeting the other day and I wanted to talk to him before I started working on my father's assignment."

"What assignment?" the man growled, glaring down at Lex.

"He said and I quote "get out to Smallville and clean that disaster area up so that O'Neill stops riding my ass"," Lex said, putting on his father's tone of voice and then grinning. "As this is actually Master Clark's territory and he know what's going on, I thought it was appropriate to start with him."

"Oh," the man said, blinking. His lips twitched at little at Lex's imitation of Lionel but that was it. He crossed his arms over his chest, studying Lex. "And what else are you here for?"

"Nothing," Lex said with a little shrug. "I would like to get to know Clark better but that's entirely social. Ah, who are you?"

"His father, Jonathan Kent," the man said, putting a name to his face.

Lex suppressed a wince. Not the introduction he'd hope to have to Jonathan Kent. He could almost feel Mercy's cool amusement and it stiffened his spine. He cocked his head and looked at Jonathan, seeing a man who had things to hide. Lex looked around, scanning the farm more closely. He didn't see anything or anyone mutated but those Houseless workers were probably weighing on Jonathan's mind.

"If you're worried about the Houseless workers," Lex said, smirking at Jonathan's start of alarm, "don't be. Every single branch of the House has Houseless workers, especially the agricultural branches. As long as they're not stealing things or fucking my father's personal slave it's not a big deal. Actually, I wouldn't mind them fucking my father's slave but my father takes offense at it. Do whatever you're doing. I couldn't care less. That's not why I'm here and it doesn't concern me."

Jonathan suppressed an amused snort at Lex's comment about his father's personal slave. His shoulders relaxed subtly as Lex reassured him about the Houseless. It was quite true. Lex and Lucas both thought that their father's ruling had been idiotic, so neither of them enforced it. Lionel might be the Dominus for House Luthor (for now, as Lucas always said) but that didn't mean that he was the Emperor. He only owned their work and bodies, not their minds and souls.

"That's good to hear," Jonathan said, glancing at the house. "I should, ah…talk to my wife about that. You know. She's got the rank, not me."

"Carry on," Lex said, smiling at Jonathan. "If you could point me to where Clark is I'd appreciate it. He is the reason why I'm visiting."

"He should be in his loft in the barn," Jonathan said, looking a bit antsy. "You can go right in."

"Thank you," Lex said, chuckling quietly once Jonathan had hurried away to the farmhouse. Off to tell his wife about the slight revision to the policy, no doubt. "Wait outside the barn, Mercy. I doubt that I'll be attacked inside."

"Yes sir," Mercy said, following at his heels and then taking up a post outside the main door where she could see anyone coming.

The barn was a barn. Lex wasn't sure why that surprised him. It was a farm so of course it had a barn. When Jonathan had pointed Lex in this direction he'd somehow expected that the barn would have been renovated to be appropriate for a Dominus-in-Training. It hadn't. Lex stared around at the hay and tools and battered old tractor, taking it all in. He slowly climbed the stairs up to the loft, wondering what he'd find up there. It felt like picking up an orange, tearing off the peel and finding an apple underneath. Or maybe an onion with many layers, Lex thought, his lips quirking in a suppressed grin when he spotted Master Clark Kent of House Clark sitting at a battered old desk studying something on his computer. He was wearing old pants, a simple blue tunic and a flannel jacket that might have been new about a decade ago. Lex leaned against the top post, studying Clark.

"I'll be done in a couple of minutes, Bruce," Clark said without looking up. "Did you get the laundry put away for Mom?"

"I wouldn't know," Lex said, grinning at him. "I have people do the laundry for me."

"Lex!" Clark gasped, turning to stare at him. His cheeks went bright red as he blushed. He stood, brushing off his pants. "I didn't know you were there. I didn't realize you'd come to Smallville. Um, sorry, I don't have much out here. Maybe we could go inside and get something to drink?"

"Relax, Clark," Lex laughed, waving a hand at him. "It's fine. I got exiled to Smallville to help clean up the mutant messes and thought I'd start by talking to you. It's your town and you know it. I don't."

Clark gave him that devastating look through his eyelashes, coupled with a smile that no young man that age ought to be able to use with that much effectiveness. Lex pushed off of the post and came into the loft, seeing so many little things that pointed to the real Clark instead of the façade that he'd met at the meeting. Everything was in worn but serviceable condition, which said that Clark didn't need the newest of everything. There was a pure sort of simplicity to the loft's furnishings that said that Clark was an uncomplicated soul, even though he obviously had depth. The worn couch looked comfortable despite the fact that it was old. Lex couldn't see any broken springs or obvious sagging, which meant he liked comfort, too.

"I'm sorry you got sent here," Clark said, his eyes saying that he was glad to see Lex no matter what the circumstances. "I tried to explain to Teal'c and Cameron that the situation wasn't that different from normal but they weren't listening. I think the exploding dog was a little much."

"It's all right," Lex said, shrugging. "I've been working on getting Father to send me away for several years now. This is a blessing in disguise."

"Why would you want to be sent away from your father?" Clark asked, sounding far more like an innocent farm boy than a future Dominus.

"This is a very well run farm," Lex said, not quite changing the subject as he walked to an open window that overlooked the yard. "Your parents have done quite well with it."

Clark cocked his head at Lex. His eyes changed from the clear guileless green to a more intense color that was almost blue. He joined Lex at the window, leaning against the frame and looking out. The not-quite playboy persona was back. Lex was a little surprised to find that he missed the open Clark he'd just met.

"Thank you," Clark said, watching several Houseless workers as they worked on a fence around one of the fields. "It hasn't been easy but Mom and Dad are dedicated to keeping the farm. It's been in my Dad's family for generations. They homesteaded here in my great grandfather's days."

"I didn't realize it was that old," Lex said, surprised. "So many old homesteads have been swept up in the last generation or two since the Emperor took over this continent that it's easy to forget. Politics makes it hard to be true to the old ways."

"It does," Clark agreed.

They stood in silence for a long time. Lex hoped that Clark was as smart as he seemed to be. There was so much that was unsafe to say. He couldn't come right out and say that his father was experimenting in things that were best left alone. He couldn't say that he was trying to distance himself so that when the Emperor came down on Lionel he wouldn't be destroyed too. He couldn't say that he was hoping Clark would be an ally. He couldn't say that he thought they were doing things the right way, the old way, the way that showed honor and integrity, rather than just scrambling for power and position among the various Houses. He was sure that there was a lot that Clark couldn't say, too.

"I've always found it sad that people have to hide what they really are to be able to get ahead," Clark said as if it was just a random comment. The look in his eyes made it perfectly clear that it wasn't random at all. "The old ways were better, at least in my opinion. Mom and Dad have tried to bring me up so that I understand both the old and the new ways."

"I'd say that they've done a good job," Lex said, smiling at Clark. His heart fluttered a little at the brilliant smile that Clark gave him. "You show more integrity than almost anyone else I've ever met. Not that my circle of acquaintances has included anyone with honor, not for years anyway."

"You used to know someone like that?" Clark asked, surprised. His eyes were bright green again and his face had slid into the openness of his farm boy self.

Lex nodded, crossing his arms on his chest to hide the shaking in his fingers. What was it about this beautiful farm boy that set him off so badly? It was a good thing that his tunic was a longer one today or he'd be showing off just how much Master Clark of House Clark impressed him. Lex swallowed and then blushed as Clark smirked at him, reaching out a hand to cup Lex's cheek.

"I did know someone like that," Lex said, his voice entirely too gentle and quiet as Clark's thumb caressed his cheek and his fingers curled just so around Lex's ear. He resisted the tiny pull, not ready to throw caution to the wind just because he was more aroused than he'd been in years. "He was a childhood friend. We went to school together but his parents were murdered when he was nine and I was eight. He disappeared shortly after his parent's funeral. No one has any idea what happened to him."

Clark stepped closer, well within Lex's personal space. His body radiated heat, like he was a mini-furnace or the sun. Lex swayed a little closer, breathing harder as Clark's hand slid down his neck. His fingers slid around the back of Lex's neck, exerting that tiny pull. This time Lex didn't resist.

"I miss him," Lex murmured, his eyes sliding shut as Clark's lips curled in a proprietary smile. "He could keep up with me. He…balanced me, to a degree. Nobody ever has since."

"I think I'm jealous of him," Clark murmured, his lips brushing against Lex's.

"Don't be," Lex whispered.

He moaned as Clark's other hand wrapped around his back, pulling Lex up against his body. Clark was strong and muscled, his body everything that the tight clothes had promised. Their erections pressed against each other, kept apart by far too many layers of clothing. Lex wasn't quite sure how Clark had become the dominant one in their interaction but it didn't matter, not with Clark rubbing his back and cupping his neck, brushing his lips over Lex's cheeks and eyelids in feathery touches that weren't quite kisses. Lex heard someone on the steps. It barely registered in the back of his mind. It was such a dim and distant thing that didn't come close to the feel of Clark's flannel jacket in Lex's fists. Gods but he wanted Clark's lips. And mouth. And nipples. And stomach. And everything else, all at once, right now, right here.

"Master Clark, I've finished the laundry and have the reports that Dominus William wanted you to go o…"

Clark jumped, his grip on Lex loosening enough that Lex could turn his head. It took a second to blink his eyes back into focus. Once he saw who it was, Lex pushed gently against Clark's chest, smirking at Bruce. Clark let go, letting Lex step away and go back to being Master Alexander, Dominus-in-Training. Bruce's face had gone bone white but it was locked into a stoic expression that gave nothing away. His fingers revealed more than his face did. They were white as he clutched the paperwork that he'd brought up for Clark. Clark just looked puzzled as he glanced back and forth between the two of them.

"Hello, Bruce," Lex said, proud that he'd managed to keep his voice level and calm. "It's good to see you. I haven't seen you since your parent's funeral. I'm glad that you're all right."

+++++

Bruce raised an eyebrow when he spotted the bodyguard slave outside of the barn. He'd seen Mercy occasionally at training sessions in Metropolis and respected her abilities. He tended to believe her when she said that her name came from what everyone begged for when she pinned them. She nodded watchfully to him and he nodded to her, heading into the barn with the paperwork that Master Clark needed to review. He could see her considering whether to stop him but this was his Master's home and she was visiting so he had higher rank. She let him pass, looking mildly unhappy about it. He assumed that she was with Master Dorian (who was her Master the last time she saw him). Master Dorian was associated with Dominus William, so he was on his best behavior as he came up the stairs into the loft.

"Master Clark, I've finished the laundry and have the reports that Dominus William wanted you to go o…" Bruce's voice trailed off as he took in what was happening.

Jealousy flared automatically at seeing Master Clark's arms wrapped around someone else. He stomped it down, trying to see whom Mercy belonged to now. There was no chance of it being Master Dorian. Master Dorian found Clark annoying and somewhat frightening. When Master Clark started and pulled back, Bruce's heart tried to leap through his sternum. Lex. It was Lex. Of course, that explained the unexpected embrace. Master Clark was distracting Lex, trying to keep him from asking about Bruce, about the mutants, about the Houseless people. Lex blinked, his eyes glazed until he focused on Bruce's face. Then he stepped back, smirking confidently at Bruce.

"Hello, Bruce," Lex said, his voice level and calm. "It's good to see you. I haven't seen you since your parent's funeral. I'm glad that you're all right."

"I'm sorry," Bruce said as calmly as he could given that he wanted to strangle Lex and then bludgeon Master Clark for putting him in this situation, "but I don't believe we've met. I'm sorry that I interrupted, Master Clark. I'll leave the paperwork on the desk and leave you to your…pleasures."

Master Clark winced, hurrying over to catch Bruce's arm. His heart was in his eyes. Bruce shook his head minutely, trying to pull free and leave before Lex could say anything else. Lex sighed, putting his hands in his pocket as he watched the two of them.

"Don't bother, Bruce," Lex said. "We all know who you are. You were my only friend as a child. I have no intention of causing you trouble."

Master Clark started, his eyes going wide. He stared at Bruce and then turned to stare at Lex, the question so obvious on his face that he didn't need to ask it. Bruce felt the rage and darkness inside of him rear up like an angry monster, batting aside his hard-won self control and slave training. It was his darkness that made his straighten up, made him glare at Lex like he was going to kill him. It was probably that darkness showing on his face that made Master Clark's grip on his arm relax.

"You're already causing trouble!" Bruce snapped, his voice deep and growling. He jerked his arm free from Master Clark's grip. "Just being here you're causing trouble! Do you have any idea how many people are going to die because of this? No one knows me and that's the only way people will survive!"

"What?" Lex asked, stiffening and leaning towards Bruce instead of backing away as most people would have. Lionel's 'training' had apparently done a good job erasing his childhood timidity since the last time Bruce had seen him. "No one is going to kill anyone. What are you talking about?"

Bruce growled, not surprised that Mercy came into the barn and ran lightly up the stairs to see if Lex was all right. He gave her a warning look that she met with narrowed eyes and the slightest of nods. She'd give him his chance but he knew that if he laid so much as a finger on Lex he'd be on the receiving end of her martial arts skills. It would be interesting to see who would win. Bruce had learned a lot since the last time they'd trained together. He was taller, with longer reach but Mercy was faster and in his opinion far more deadly. Master Clark moved to stand between Bruce and Mercy, pulling himself up to full height to glare at her.

"No one here knows who I am," Bruce said, trusting Master Clark to keep Mercy from doing anything stupid. "If anyone finds out who I am, the Emperor will land on House Luthor, House Kent, everyone in the area."

"Well I'm hardly going to go tell anyone," Lex said, glaring at Bruce.

"Who is he?" Master Clark asked Lex, still standing in Mercy's way.

"Don't—!"

"Bruce Wayne," Lex said, cutting Bruce off. "I can't believe you haven't told him. How can he help you if you don't tell him who you are?"

"You idiot!" Bruce yelled.

He glared at Lex while his words echoed off of the walls of the barn. That was exactly the wrong thing to do. He hadn't spent his entire life hiding his identity from his masters for nothing. Once he'd been old enough to understand the consequences of his being revealed, Bruce had done everything he could to keep the Kents, especially Master Clark, from figuring out who he was. He would not allow them to be destroyed for having sheltered and protected him.

"Wayne?" Master Clark breathed, making Bruce turn to him. Clark's eyes were as big as saucers as he stared at Bruce. Mercy had on her no-expression face, but the way she held herself said better than words how shocked she was. She'd taken a half step backwards and was in a defensive posture instead of her normal ready-to-attack posture.

"I won't allow you or your family to be destroyed, Master Clark," Bruce reassured him.

"This is huge," Master Clark said, sitting heavily on the edge of his desk. "Wow. Oh wow. And I thought I had issues on my side. Wow. No wonder you kept it a secret all this time."

"Why in the world would you keep it a secret?" Lex demanded, glaring at them both. "The only way you're going to get your position back—"

Bruce cut him off with a wave of his hand. He knew what needed to be done, just not how to get where he needed to be. Lex bristled, his eyes filled with anger. Bruce was sure that he was thinking of all the times his father had cut him off and dismissed him. He didn't care. They had to keep this from getting any further out of control. Bruce turned to Mercy who narrowed her eyes at him. She shifted forward onto her toes as if getting ready for a charge. Her shock had clearly dissipated as quickly as it had arrived.

"We can't let anyone else hear this, Mercy," Bruce said to her. "The more people that know about this, the more likely it will be that we'll all be destroyed. The more that you know, the more likely it is that you'll be tortured to find the secret."

"I'll guard the doors," Mercy said, nodding agreement. "Master, shut up and listen. You've been sheltered from certain realities of life by your father."

"Really?" Lex drawled, glaring at her. "I had no idea."

"Listen to him," Mercy snapped, making Master Clark and Lex both flinch. "Keep it short. There are too many entrances to this barn for me to keep it secure for long."

She ran back down the stairs and left the barn to scare everyone away. Bruce had no doubt that she'd be highly effective at it. Mercy was one of the most impressive bodyguards he'd ever interacted with. He frequently wondered if she'd been trained as an assassin but knew better than to ask. Bruce turned to Master Clark, who was looking at him with that sick, kicked puppy expression that meant he felt like he'd done the wrong thing with Bruce. Bruce sighed, giving Master Clark a little smile to reassure him. It didn't seem to work. He turned back to Lex.

"The Emperor will destroy everyone who aids, knowingly or unknowingly, in a Dominus being enslaved, Lex," Bruce said. "He's done it before. It extends from the Dominus of the ruling House that held the slave all the way down to the people who lived in the area but who had nothing to do with it. Everyone in House Clark will die. Everyone in House Luthor will die. Everyone in every House associated with House Luthor will die. Your allies will die. The Freemen and householders in the area will die. The Houseless in the area will die. All the collective property will revert to the Emperor and he'll parcel it out to various houses, with approximately half coming to me as 'repayment' for what happened to me."

"That's…good for you," Lex said, shuddering at Bruce's description.

"That's the last thing I want," Bruce snarled. "I want Earle destroyed. I want my House back. I do not want either House Luthor or House Clark destroyed. They're not responsible for this. Earle is. I have to find a way to get back to Gotham without being seen. I have to get proof against Earle. Then I have to find some way to force a vote of no confidence in him."

"That's doable," Lex said as he slowly nodded. "That's actually quite doable, Bruce. Yes, I think I can see how to do that. It wouldn't take much at all."

Bruce groaned, letting his chin drop to his chest. The problem with Lex had always been that he saw the problem and how to fix it without seeing all the consequences of his methodology. He'd always liked Lex. He was brilliant and funny in a sarcastic way that had appealed to Bruce even when he was too young to follow suit. He had been a real friend in their school where friendships were based on the rank your parents and Houses held, rather than whether you liked each other. If things had been different, Bruce thought that House Luthor might have come under House Wayne. Given how young House Luthor was, it would have been a logical move. Despite all that (or perhaps because of it), Lex needed to be reined in frequently.

"Tell me you're not plotting," Bruce said, restraining the urge to smirk as Lex blushed right up over his scalp. "You know I don't want you plotting for me, Lex. That hasn't changed, even with everything that's happened."

"It wouldn't take much," Lex declared, raising his chin defiantly.

"I know it wouldn't," Bruce said, looking at him. "All I'd have to do is run away, get into the Underground Railroad and go to Gotham. I could have done that a decade ago, Lex. That's not sufficient. I want my revenge and I refuse to do anything that will endanger House Clark or House Luthor. It needs delicate handling."

"Still…"

"No," Bruce said, raising a finger at Lex. "Don't. Let it lie for now. Why are you here?"

"Oh that," Lex said, glaring at Bruce at the same time as he shrugged. "House O'Neill sent a, shall we say strongly worded letter? Father banished me to Smallville to 'clean up the mess', as he put it. I came to talk to Clark since it's his territory."

Bruce exchanged a look with Master Clark who sighed and shrugged. Bruce shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck in dismay. That was another hornet's nest they needed to be very careful about. Lex raised an eyebrow, studying the two of them. His eyes started to glitter as he turned to glare at Master Clark.

"That…seduction of yours was a distraction!" Lex said, clearly infuriated.

"A little bit," Master Clark admitted with a casual shrug. "I didn't want you thinking about Bruce. The mutants aren't that big of a deal, really. We know what causes the mutations—mostly—and we know pretty much where they're going to happen. House O'Neill overreacted. Most of it was honest attraction. You're gorgeous."

This time Lex's blush was a violent shade of red, which made Bruce openly smirk. Trust Master Clark to find just the right words to derail someone. He excelled at being a playboy with a heart of gold, though most of the time the playboy part was an act. Lex looked away, rubbing his scalp as if to make the blush disappear. Master Clark smirked too, but he still had that worried look in his eyes when he glanced at Bruce.

"So we're dancing around at least three secrets here," Lex said after a few seconds.

"Three?" Bruce asked, surprised.

"You have yours," Lex said, gesturing towards Bruce, "Clark has his mutants, and I have my Father. There's…a lot…there."

"We know," Master Clark said, nodding calmly. "Still not sure what he's trying to accomplish but we do know about the experiments he's been doing. He's doing them here in town after all. Half of the incidents House O'Neill objects to are experiments that got loose."

"Literally," Lex said, going as pale as only a true redhead could.

Bruce nodded in unison with Master Clark. They did have a pretty good idea what was happening in the old creamed corn factory turned research laboratory. They knew that Lionel was up to some highly illegal experiments on mutants as well as Houseless 'volunteers'. Neither of them had been able to gather enough information to bring Lionel down, but they were working on it. Lex's face went stony as he watched them.

"I see that I have some work to do out at the factory," Lex muttered, glaring out the window.

He stood in silence for a long moment, lost in thought. Bruce let him think. He had no interest in getting Lex wound up again. It was hard enough to get Lex to calm down about normal things. He wasn't going to get him going on the 'save Bruce Wayne' thing again. He'd find his own way back home and get his vengeance. He didn't need anyone else's help. Master Clark twitched as the silence stretched.

"Now what?" Master Clark finally asked.

"Now I go and investigate the plant," Lex said, turning back to them. "Bruce continues to play his part as a good slave, which I still cannot fathom. Bruce Wayne as a slave makes my head hurt!"

Bruce laughed, grinning at Lex who raised an eyebrow at him. It certainly wasn't easy playing the part but Bruce could do it. He would do it. Taking care of those he loved was more important than getting is vengeance. 'At all costs' was too high of a cost for Bruce.

"I'll see what sort of information I can dig up on the whole Wayne issue," Lex continued, "and I'll pass that over to you, Clark. Hopefully it will help and we'll be able to find a way to get Bruce back where he belongs. Equally hopefully, I'll find something that will let me depose my father and turn him over to the Emperor. In return for my help, I'd…like it if we could discuss a future alliance between our houses. I don't see any reason for House Clark to be subordinate to House Luthor. Your house is much older than ours. I'd also like an alliance with House Wayne, like we discussed at school."

"I'm fine with that," Master Clark said, nodding. "Especially if I get the chance to ah, further our acquaintance?"

Bruce laughed quietly, shaking his head at Master Clark's cheesy grin. Lex looked surprised, then pleased, and then confused. Bruce shrugged, smiling ruefully at Lex.

"You'll find that Master Clark is quite serious about his flirtations," Bruce said, putting on his very best 'I'm-a-perfect-slave-who-has-no-opinions' manners.

Master Clark still had that look in his eyes that said he needed a serious talk with Bruce. It could wait. They needed to get rid of Lex and Mercy before they could have that discussion. Bruce didn't like the idea of Master Clark with Lex, but judging by what he'd interrupted when he first came in the barn, Master Clark would be the top. Bruce could deal with that. He didn't like it, but he could deal with it. Probably. Maybe.

"We can definitely discuss it," Lex laughed, shaking his head at Master Clark. "It would help if you could give me an overview of what to expect with the mutants and the factory. The more information I have going in, the more likely it is that I'll be able to stop my father."

"Sure," Master Clark said cheerfully. "Have a seat. It'll take a while. There's a lot that I'm sure you don't know."

+++++

"So basically the meteors cause the mutations," Clark said.

He'd spent the last half hour explaining what was going on in town, all the while watching Bruce from the corner of his eye. Bruce had retreated into the darkest corner of the barn as soon as Clark started talking. There was no better sign that he was upset than his hiding in shadows. Clark had learned that before he was six years old. He'd also put on his 'perfect slave' expression, standing at relaxed attention in the corner as if he was a sculpture of a man. It was driving Clark crazy. Clark could see how he tensed every time Lex smirked or moved or said anything. They'd talked so many times about what would happen when Clark met someone else that he was really interested in. Bruce had always said that he'd be jealous but he'd accept it. Clark had taken him at his word but now he thought he probably shouldn't have. To him Bruce looked like he wanted to murder Lex for having dared to capture Clark's interest. He really needed to have a long talk with Bruce.

"I see," Lex said, the sad little smile on his face. He either was sad for the mutants or sad for Clark and Bruce. Clark wasn't sure which. "The thing I find fascinating is that it doesn't seem to affect humans."

"Actually, they do cause mutations in humans," Clark said, giving Lex his full attention again. He needed to for this bit of misdirection. "We work really hard to keep Lionel or House O'Neill from finding out about any of them. There have been a few who were caught by House O'Neill, like Alicia Baker. She was a friend of mine in school. She was the last they got after she had a psychotic break. We've been really careful ever since that. I don't want anyone hurt if I can help it. It's not their fault that they were mutated. They don't deserve to die for it. Your father's troops have caught several. While no one's ever come back from House O'Neill a few have escaped from your father's labs. They, well, they all died within a few hours of their escapes. I'm sorry."

Lex stiffened, sitting up from his mock-casual lounge on the couch. He'd been far too tense as Clark explained Smallville's history and quirks for it to be truly casual, but now he abandoned the pretense entirely. He stood and started pacing, crossing in and out of the pool of sunlight from the window. Bruce stiffened and then relaxed minimally, the lines around his mouth deep enough that Clark wanted to scream. He really needed to get Lex out of here so they could talk.

"Damn it, I always knew my father was breaking the Emperor's laws," Lex said, "but I didn't think that he was killing people off."

"Unfortunately a lot of them were Houseless," Clark said sadly. "Not everyone, of course, but a lot of the ones who got captured were. They can disappear and it doesn't matter. So many people don't consider the Houseless to be people."

"That is…idiotic," Lex said, pausing long enough to make it clear he was censoring several far more obscene terms. "They're people, just unlucky ones. Hell, most of the Houseless in Luthor territory are Houseless specifically because Father got his nose out of joint. It's not their fault at all!"

Clark nodded sadly. The Houseless that they had in Smallville were almost all people who'd fallen on hard times. Their smaller Houses had failed or been driven under by Lionel. Their house holdings had been taken from them. They'd been accused of crimes and been unable to raise the money to defend themselves and thus their accusers had been ruled correct automatically. They weren't incorrigible gamblers, thieves or murderers the way common perception decreed. They weren't even wanderers who refused to settle down like the mythical Romany.

"All right," Lex said, rubbing the back of his head while glaring out the window. "I need to get to work on this. Is there anything else I should worry about?"

"Be very careful about the plant and your father's men," Clark warned him. "They don't listen to anyone but him and they don't ask questions before they take someone down. They don't report to you, Lex. They report to your father. You might have nominal control around here but I'd bet that they've been told that you're not to have access to anything sensitive in the plant. We've been trying to get in there for years and we've been completely blocked. The people in charge are really ruthless and really dangerous."

"We lost four people just last month," Bruce added, startling Clark that he'd speak up. "We found their bodies a week and a half ago. There wasn't much left of them."

Lex nodded slowly, his eyes glittering with what Clark assumed was anger. It was hard to be sure with Lex's face set in that aggressively neutral expression. It almost looked like a mask. He turned back to Clark, the anger sliding into barely concealed desire. Clark's heart beat a little faster despite his worries about Bruce. As much as he loved Bruce, there was something about Lex that set off his libido. Maybe it was the power and intelligence mixed with hints of submission. Maybe it was just that Lex was of equal rank to Clark. His looks certainly helped. Clark wasn't sure what exactly it was about Lex but he liked it. He wanted Lex underneath him, crying out his name, clinging to Clark as he took him hard and deep. Of course, it would be so much better if he had Bruce taking him as he took Lex, but that didn't look to be very likely anytime soon, if ever. Bruce's jealousy was too strong for that to happen unfortunately.

"I need to go," Lex said, shaking his head in dismay. "Can I come back and ask you more questions once I've done some investigation?"

"You can come back just to visit," Clark said, grinning at him. "I'd be happy to see you no matter what was going on. I like looking at you."

"Is he always that cheesy?" Lex asked Bruce, one eyebrow raised. He was smirking again, his lips twitching as he fought a true smile.

"Always," Bruce drawled in his 'so very much not a slave' voice. "I think that he listened to too many of those old Shadow radio dramas when he was a kid."

"Lamont Cranston is cool," Clark declared, nodding as solemnly as possible. "Wealthy young man-about-town by day and super crime fighter by night. 'The weed of crime bears bitter fruit!' Very cool. I wanted to be him when I grew up."

Bruce started snickering, shaking his head in dismay. It was an old, old joke between them. Given Bruce's affinity for the shadows he'd be more likely to do the Shadow routine than Clark would. Clark wagged his eyebrows and pretended to swirl a cape. Lex burst out laughing, grinning at the two of them. Clark grinned, loving the sound of that laughter. He didn't think it was something that Lex did all that often, especially as Mercy came into the barn to stare up at them with a raised eyebrow. Bruce relaxed too, as though he enjoyed hearing Lex laugh.

"Oh heavens," Lex wheezed once he stopped laughing. "The idea of you in that stupid hat with a scarf, running around trying to save everyone!"

"I was thinking more like a bright red cape," Clark said, grinning, "but yeah. That's what I wanted to be as a child. Hasn't quite worked out that way."

"Real life never does," Lex said, chuckling sadly. He shook his head and headed for the stairs. "I'll call you before I come over next time, Clark of House Clark. Thank you for…everything."

The smile he turned on both Clark and Bruce was so sweetly sad that it tugged at Clark's heart. Lex headed down the stairs and left the barn with Mercy. A few seconds later, the doors on his car banged shut and he drove away. Clark sighed, rubbing his face.

"Tired, Master?" Bruce asked from the shadows.

"Yeah," Clark said, letting his playboy manners slide away. "Lex really is gorgeous but keeping my powers and the railroad from him wasn't easy. He asks too many questions. Are you okay?"

"Of course, Master," Bruce said, his nod just a faint flash of movement in the shadows he'd hidden in.

"Bruce," Clark said, frowning. "Come on. I just found out who you are after you tried to hide it my entire life. Lex has found out about the mutants. Hopefully he hasn't figured out that I am one. There's the risk that it's all going to fall down around our ears. Lionel's up to who knows what. People are hunting you. Different people are hunting me. And to top it off I think you're going to explode from sheer jealousy."

Bruce stiffened so much that he seemed to grow three inches taller. His eyes caught the light from the window almost like a cat's eyes. They were narrowed in a ferocious glare. Clark knew he was pushing it but it didn't matter. He loved Bruce. Lex was gorgeous and he'd be so much fun to fuck, but Bruce meant far too much to him to risk their relationship falling apart, much less the mess that would happen if they couldn't work together anymore.

"I'm fine," Bruce growled, his voice dropping into the deeper register that said he was anything but fine.

"No you're not," Clark said, worried.

"All right then, I'm not fine _Master_ ," Bruce snarled.

"Don't start that," Clark said, fiddling with the hem of his tunic. "You've always been more to me than a slave, Bruce. You know that. It took me years to understand that 'slave' didn't mean 'big brother just for me.' You mean too much to me for me to risk ruining our relationship for a fuck. That's what Lex is. He's cute, sexy, adorably submissive even if he doesn't realize it, and just a fuck. He's not the person that I love enough to risk everything for. You are."

Bruce sighed, shutting his eyes for a second. He shook his head and stepped out of the shadows to lay a hand against Clark's cheek. Clark leaned into the touch, feeling impossibly young. The nine years difference between their ages usually didn't bother him but right now Bruce felt so much older and wiser than him. Bruce had always meant the world to him. He wasn't going to risk losing Bruce, no matter how sexy Lex was.

"Lex will never be 'just a fuck', Master Clark," Bruce said, his expression tired. "I know him a great deal better than you do. He would never be satisfied with that. It's part of what I was worried about when you proposed your distraction by seduction plan."

"I don't have to do anything with him," Clark offered, putting his hand over Bruce's on his cheek. "Seriously, I'm perfectly capable of resisting people other than you."

Bruce laughed, grinning suddenly. He stepped closer, tugging Clark into his arms. Clark went willingly, burying his face in Bruce's neck. Wayne. Bruce was Bruce _Wayne_. It was so strange to think that. He'd been fucking a Wayne and treating him like a slave for years. While he'd always tried to treat Bruce well, it wasn't at all the way he should have been treated. In real terms, Bruce had much higher rank than Clark did.

"I'm sorry," Clark whispered, shaking slightly as Bruce's arms tightened around him.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Bruce whispered back. "I chose this. I chose to stay here. I chose to stay with you. I chose to allow our sexual relationship. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't wanted it, wanted you."

"Really?" Clark asked, pulling back just enough so that he could see Bruce's eyes.

"Really," Bruce said.

His eyes had gone that intense, deep blue that Clark had always associated with Bruce as his most possessive. Bruce's hands slid down Clark's back to clench around his buttocks. Clark moaned, letting Bruce pull their hips together. They weren't fully erect (yet) but it still felt good. Bruce ground his hips against Clark's, nuzzling and then biting Clark's neck. Clark shuddered, spreading his fingers out on Bruce's back so that he wouldn't hurt him.

"Hate the thought of you being touched by someone else," Bruce growled, biting Clark's neck harder.

"Was planning on being the one doing the touching," Clark replied, biting his lip as Bruce snorted and bit really hard.

"Doesn't matter," Bruce complained. "Don't like it."

"I don't have to do it," Clark whispered, nuzzling Bruce's hair.

Bruce stilled, no longer biting Clark's neck. He didn't let Clark go. He didn't pull him closer. He only went still and quiet, breathing quietly into the nook of Clark's neck. Clark waited, unsure what was going through Bruce's head. Eventually Bruce sighed and pulled back a little, his expression a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"No, you should go ahead and seduce him," Bruce said, his lips twisted in an vague approximation of a smile.

"Why should I if you hate it that much?" Clark asked, confused. He didn't let Bruce go when Bruce released him, making use of his greater strength.

"Because," Bruce said, sighing as he resettled his arms around Clark's back, "You're the Master and I'm the slave. I know. I'm not really a slave. But it would look very bad if you chose your slave over another Master. House Clark can't afford that sort of humiliation, not with everything else that's going on in town. You know perfectly well that rejecting Lex for a 'mere slave' will reflect badly on House Clark."

Clark winced. He'd already been through this several times so he did know. When he'd rejected the previous relationships they'd been with people of so much lesser rank that they weren't considered 'appropriate' in the first place. To reject Lex for Bruce would be a disaster for House Clark. Lionel could use it as ammunition to destroy House Clark. Other Houses would be unwilling to work with them, citing 'irrational behavior by the Dominus-in-training'. They'd already tried it when Clark rejected Chloe's house's offer of an alliance marriage. They'd managed to handle it and keep it from being a disaster but only barely. Chloe's loud objections to the alliance marriage had been the only thing that ended it. That she wanted to marry for love wasn't something she was going to admit in public.

"You can't be so in love with your slave that you choose the slave over another Master," Bruce said, shrugging. "If I were living as Bruce Wayne, there wouldn't be a question but for now you can't afford not to follow up on it. Especially given how obvious the two of you are."

"We're not that obvious," Clark protested, blushing at Bruce's arch look. "Okay, so we are that obvious. He's just so…submissive. I keep picturing him between the two of us, or maybe me in the middle with Lex on the bottom. I'd love to watch you take him. Or have you watch me take him. It's…"

Clark broke off and started laughing at Bruce's expression. It was a mixture of surprise, lust and raging jealousy. His erection pressed against Clark's hip, keeping Bruce from claiming anything silly like he wasn't interested in the idea of a threesome. He might be jealous as all hells of Clark and Lex alone but it looked like he'd like the idea of all three of them together.

"Are you trying to get me to throw you over the sofa and fuck you silly?" Bruce growled, his voice dipping into that deepest register.

"Works for me," Clark said, grinning. "Especially if I get to vocally fantasize about Lex giving me a blow job while you do it."

Bruce groaned and shoved Clark at the couch, already pulling his jacket off. Clark grinned and went with the shove. Maybe things would work out after all!

+++++

 _'I cannot believe how much Bruce has changed,'_ Lex thought as he drove away from the Kent farm.

The thought rolled through his head, just as it had been while he listened to Clark calmly explaining things that were supposed to be secret. He wasn't surprised that the people of Smallville knew about the meteorites. They had originally fallen in Smallville. He wasn't surprised that Clark and Bruce were trying to manage the situation. What else could they do? It was their home territory and they were responsible for the people there. He wasn't that surprised that people were being mutated the same way that animals and plants were. It was only logical that they would be. His father's frequent claims to the contrary had only made Lex certain that it must be true. It was nice to discover that his instincts in that regard were right. His mutation wasn't unique. Others had been affected as he'd been affected by the meteor shower. The surprises had come in other places.

The deaths at his father's labs were a true surprise. His father had managed to keep that from Lex, which said some rather frightening things about his father's security and the level of control he exercised over the labs in Smallville. Presumably he had managed to keep it from Lucas as well. Lucas wasn't good at keeping secrets at the best of times and unexplained deaths would have brought out his near-compulsion to talk about it. He'd exposed more than a few of Lex's plots against their father before Lex had learned not to tell Lucas anything sensitive. Despite the other, quite substantial surprises, the thought that wouldn't leave his brain was Bruce hiding in shadows.

Bruce had been terrified of the dark when they were children. Lex wasn't sure what incident in his life had given him the fear but it had been almost overwhelming for Bruce when they'd met at school. The least hint of darkness and Bruce had changed from his somewhat domineering self to someone as uncertain as Lex normally was. In the dark, Lex had been the one to take the lead, not Bruce. It was strange to see Bruce retreat into the shadows as if they were something that he welcomed. Lex wasn't sure if he liked the implication that Bruce was retreating into the darkness to push away an emotion that was stronger than his fear.

"Where will you start, Master?" Mercy asked as they drove up the long drive to the mansion.

"Investigation," Lex said. "Not that I'm going to call it that. I need to confirm what Clark and Bruce told me, so we're going to spend some time interviewing people in town in the guise of making sure that everyone is being properly taken care of and that House O'Neill hasn't cause any problems for them."

"I'd be careful about implying that they're not properly taken care of," Mercy said, raising an eyebrow. "Master Clark's very well liked in Smallville."

"That's so not a surprise," Lex said, his lips curling in a smile.

"I _so_ don't care about your opinions of his sexual prowess," Mercy growled, her eyes narrowing to slits. "I care about whether or not I'm going to have to fend off assassination attempts because you offended their future Dominus."

Lex refused to wince away from her fierce glare. He wasn't a child anymore. He knew how to defend himself from bullies. He was strong. He was brilliant. He was the Dominus in Training for House Luthor. He was going to be Emperor of the World someday, as long as he could keep his father from getting House Luthor destroyed or getting there first. Lex's upward spiraling pep talk left him smirking at himself. No matter what dreams he might hold, he'd never speak them out loud. The Emperor's security was so far beyond what Lex could defend against that it was mandatory to leave it unspoken.

"I'll be polite," Lex promised Mercy. "I fully intend to lay all the blame for any worries about their safety on House O'Neill and the Emperor's Guard, not on Clark. He's obviously doing a brilliant job."

"Obviously," Mercy drawled, getting out to hold the door for Lex once he parked.

Lex refused to allow his cheeks to blush as he headed inside. Mercy already had far too much influence over him. He wasn't going to give her that much more. The staff had done a wonderful job getting the mansion ready to live in. The furniture wasn't covered with drop cloths anymore. His pool table was set up. Lex set off on his informal investigation. He tried to play the part of a Dominus in Training, aiming for an appropriate mixture of dominance and 'trying to learn' humility. It was a balancing act that Lucas failed at every time he attempted it. Lex was better at it, though he still failed on occasion, especially when he got caught up in intellectual puzzles. He suspected that Clark was a master of it.

"Oh no, we haven't had any problems with House O'Neill," the cook said, her eyes flying straight to the window overlooking the garden before they locked back on Lex. "Master Clark does a wonderful job interfacing with them."

"I'm glad. He really is quite amazing. I just came from visiting him and I must say that I'm impressed," Lex said, tacitly inviting the woman to enthuse about Clark. She promptly did so, going on about how well Master Clark did taking care of them, how much he seemed to actually care about the residents of Smallville and what a catch he was. She spent quite a lot of time going on about what a catch he would be and what a shame it was that he hadn't found the right person yet.

"Well, I would certainly have to agree with that," Lex said, grinning at her. "I'd hate to inflict my father on him though. I'm afraid that my father tends towards the other end of the scale when it comes to Dominus performance. Not that I said that of course."

"Of course not," the cook said, her eyes going round with surprise.

"I think I'll leave you to your work," Lex said. "I can gossip about Master Clark some other time I'm sure. I've spent enough time distracting you from your cooking."

He chuckled and then grinned as she started giggling. She mock-swatted at his arm with a dry dishtowel. Lex left the kitchen and headed out into the garden towards the place that her eyes had indicated. There was a newly planted rose surrounded by an old fence that would have kept anyone from approaching it, which sent Lex off to the gardener. The gardener was more than happy to complain about House O'Neill stealing a perfectly harmless meteor-affected green rosebush. The gardener didn't see why it had been taken. The only way it affected anyone was if they got inside the fence and were exposed to the sap. Lex filed the knowledge that the sap made people invisible—and insane—away beside the (secret) new armor that his father was developing in that was supposed to render the wearer invisible.

The gardener mentioned the exploding dog incident downtown as something that he was worried about, so Lex went there next, checking on the rebuilding efforts. Lex learned a lot as he worked his way through town, meeting many people who worked directly with Clark and many more who worked at his father's labs. Almost everyone looked at Lex's head but no one asked why he was bald. Lex found it quite interesting. In Metropolis it was the first thing that people asked once they'd gotten past the normal greetings and establishment of their relative ranks. Lex would swear that they all knew that he was one of the meteor mutants but were afraid to say anything about it. Lex left it unsaid as well. Better not to speak than risk his father's displeasure.

"So," Lex said to the fireman that he was interviewing about the exploding dog incident, "how exactly did the dog blow things up? That wasn't clear at all from the reports that House O'Neill sent us. They wouldn't tell us how they caught it either."

"Heh! Not surprised by that," the fireman said, grinning broadly. "Come sit down. It's a fine tale!"

Lex sat with the fireman on the end of his truck. By the time the story was done with Lex was laughing so hard he was crying. The image of Cameron Mitchell covered in mud, hanging from a flyer to entice a yipping puppy into a trap did him in. Even Mercy was grinning, but then she apparently knew Mitchell personally and found his attitude somewhat annoying. Not that she didn't find most people annoying, of course. The fireman snickered as Lex wiped his eyes.

"I wish I had a video of that," Lex wheezed, wiping his eyes. "Oh my, that would be…I don't have words for how funny that must have been."

"A little scary at the time," the fireman said, shrugging, "but yup, lots of fun to look back at."

"They do get…oppressive at times," Lex sighed, rubbing his scalp. "There's always so much to be worried about with House O'Neill."

The fireman followed the gesture, his eyes going tight and lines appearing around his mouth. Like everyone else, he looked like he didn't want to ask so Lex was surprised when he nodded at Lex's head.

"What happened?" the fireman asked.

"Meteor shower," Lex said very quietly. "We don't discuss it."

The fireman rocked back against the tailgate of his truck, staring at Lex. His eyes had surprise, fear, concern, worry and a surprising amount of approval. He nodded and changed the subject entirely, telling Lex about a grass fire that he'd fought outside of the Luthor Labs outside of town. Lex listened, nodding as if it was a fascinating story.

"We never did do a proper check to make sure that there wasn't any damage after the fire," the fireman said, studiously not looking at Lex or Mercy. "Security there wasn't pleased at us being at the fence in the first place. They fought the fire on the other side of the fence, even though they didn't have the right equipment to work with. They take security a good bit too seriously sometimes."

"I'm glad that you managed to put the fire out together," Lex said, nodding again in a way that he hoped conveyed that he understood that he should go check that out. "Well, I really should be going. I've got a great deal more work I need to do, but thank you for the story of the exploding dog. Made for a lovely break. I'll have to mention it the next time I see Mitchell."

"You do that," the fireman said, grinning at Lex impishly. "And then tell me how he reacts the next time you're in town."

They shook hands and Lex headed back to the mansion with Mercy. It was entirely too late for him to take a trip out to the lab. Lex contented himself with going through every single file that he could get his hands on and harassing his staff with questions about the people and things that House O'Neill had taken. He found fascinating signs that the underground railroad for Houseless people ran straight through Smallville, probably straight through the Kent farm, but that was neither here nor there. Lex had no issue with Houseless people traveling to new territories in search of a second chance. The few slaves who managed to flee abusive masters were not an issue to him either. He supported stronger oversight over the treatment of the various sorts of slaves in the first place. The underground railroad's passage through town did explain Bruce's lack of urgency. He could have left and gone to Gotham at any time.

Lex went to bed late, slept deeply and then woke early. Mercy was already up, dressed and heavily armed. She obviously knew what he planned to do today. It was the only logical choice after what the fireman had told Lex. Lex allowed Mercy to drive them, which was more in keeping with his being Dominus (in training) than driving himself. He had her stop by the scorched area where the grass fire had been. There was a large earthen mound topped with a large electrified fence. The grass fire had scorched the earth bare in a huge swath over the mound and presumably down the other side.

"This is pathetic," Mercy said, looking around at the painfully inept attempts to wipe out signs of the fire.

"Agreed," Lex said, sighing. "Could they have made this any more obvious?"

Rather than do something logical—like let the grass grow back naturally—someone from the plant had come out and put shrubs here and there in the middle of the blackened earth. Their bright green leaves contrasted vividly with the blackened earth. Lex sighed and walked towards the fence, shaking his head at the pathetic cover-up attempt. He counted mentally. It took twelve seconds for the security forces to arrive by flyer from the plant. He hadn't climbed high enough on the mound to be able to see inside of the fence when the flyer arrived.

"Stop where you are!" a Guard barked from the flyer.

"Get down here!" Lex yelled back up at them, putting on his best imitation of Lionel's 'someone's about to die for this idiocy' expression.

It took a second but the flyer landed by the car. Lex glared as the guards hustled out of it, threatening Lex and Mercy with their guns. Mercy glared at them and the guns angled away ever so slightly. Lex made a mental note to give Mercy a raise. He might actually get out of this alive with her backing him up.

"Who was the idiot who ordered these plantings?" Lex demanded before any of the guards could open their mouths. "Could you possibly have made it any more obvious that there's something to hide here? Maybe you should put up a sign directing people to start searching here?"

"Ah—"

"No!" Lex snapped. "This is absurd. You've all put pointed outsiders straight at this place. House O'Neill is already on our ass. We can't afford to give them any excuses to look closer. I want your supervisor out here _now_. We need to undo this horrific landscaping and make this look somewhat natural."

They stared at him; their mouths dropped open in shock. Lex stiffened, narrowing his eyes and thinning his lips as he focused on them. They saw it, saw the way he memorized the ID numbers engraved on their armor, saw the way he noted every particular of their appearance. They started to twitch and then the lead slapped the radio on his shoulder, calling for their boss in a voice tinged with panic and fear. 'Mr. Luthor's heir' was said with a special emphasis that held both warning and fear. Lex knew how little of his mother was in him at that moment and set the pain at that thought aside. Better to be Lionel's heir than his mother's beautiful boy right now. They wouldn't respect Lex if he was anything less than the ultimate Dominus. It took all of nine seconds for the second flyer to arrive and the guard's boss was talking before the door to his flyer was open. Lex cut him off before he got more than three syllables out.

"You're trying to point House O'Neill here, aren't you?" Lex attacked, glaring at the man who staggered as if he'd just been stabbed. "This," Lex gestured at the idiotic green plants around them, "is the clearest signal I've ever seen that there's something to hide."

"M-Master Lex, that's not what we intended to—"

"You certainly fooled me," Lex snapped, cutting him off again. "It was a simple, ordinary _fire_. Simple, ordinary fires do not require this sort of blatant, pathetic, attempts to hide them. You could have gotten sod and put that down. You could have simply _let it grow back naturally_ the way any sane person would have. But no, you had to make it absolutely clear that there are things behind that fence," Lex pointed imperiously at the fence, "that you do not want people to see."

The guard's boss was mouthing things without any sound coming out of his mouth. The guards were all pale, staring at the plants as if they were poisonous. Mercy hovered behind Lex. He assumed she had on that expression that said they were too stupid to be allowed to live. Lex didn't think his histrionics and expression were fierce enough to make them all twitch that way. Lex started snapping orders. Inside of ten minutes he had half the facility there, digging up the shrubs and putting down new sod. He had people on mowers and weed whackers trimming down the rest of the grass so that it had a nicely uniform appearance all along the fence line. He even got them to agree to put in a brand new irrigation system under the pretense that if a fire happened once it was due to their negligence of the landscaping and a lack of water. He marched the head of the facility up to the top of the mound, directing him to have trees planted an appropriate distance from the fence, with some nice dense shrubs between them. Explaining what he wanted done gave Lex an excellent chance to study what was being hidden. Once he'd done that, and gotten the head of the facility's promise to get the trees and shrubs planted within the next couple of days, Lex nodded.

"Good," Lex said, making sure to keep the disgust and annoyance in his voice despite the creeping terror that was trying to consume his guts. "Be grateful that it's me here today. If Father had come I doubt that any of you would have survived it. I will be back to check on the progress in the next couple of days. I expect to see that my orders have been followed. House O'Neill is _this_ close to coming and seizing Smallville for the Emperor. I doubt that you want that."

"No sir," the head of the labs said, his legs nearly giving out. A little dark spot appeared on his tunic right at the groin. Lex ignored the smell of urine that suddenly filled the air.

Lex dismissed him and marched back down to his car. The head of the labs started shouting at his people as Lex climbed into the car. Panic riddled his voice. Lex sighed, grateful for Mercy doing the driving today. He waited until they were nearly back to the mansion before he spoke.

"That is what I thought it was, wasn't it?" Lex asked very quietly.

"Yes sir," Mercy said. The resolutely bland tone of her voice and complete lack of expression on her face said more than anything else could have.

Lex shuddered. The Emperor was going to kill them all. He knew the signs of a mass grave. That stretch of land held several mass graves. The graves didn't bother him as much as the soldiers he'd seen training over those graves. They'd moved too fast, hit too hard, used weapons that even House O'Neill didn't have, at least as far as Lex knew. There was no need for House Luthor to have those weapons or those super-soldiers. Lex had known for years about his father's ambitions. He could hardly help but know living with the man. But he hadn't realized just how far Lionel would go to realize his dreams.

Lex was pretty sure that super soldiers could be explained as a new project that Lionel was working on to sell to the Emperor at a later date. The thing that had his balls trying to crawl back up into his body was that there had been screens set twenty feet or so above the training ground. They'd been treated with something that made them, and whatever they covered, invisible from the air. The soldiers training underneath the screens had been in armor that shifted the light, making them like chameleons. They weren't truly invisible but they were very hard to spot and far too fast. Lex thought about the green rose that had been taken from the mansion's garden. He thought about the missing mutants that Clark and Bruce were worried about. He thought about the Houseless people that disappeared in town. Lex wondered how many of the mutants and Houseless were buried in the mass graves and just how human those super soldiers he'd seen training were.

"The Emperor's going to kill us all," Lex breathed as Mercy pulled up to the mansion.

"Only if he catches us before we stop your father's coup attempt," Mercy said, getting out to hold Lex's door.

"Mmm," Lex grunted, nodding as he got out of the car. "Let Master Clark know that I'll be coming over to visit after dinner. I think we need another discussion."

"Yes, Master," Mercy said, making a note on her PDA. "I'll make sure to bring lube and condoms for you two to use."

"Mercy!" Lex snapped, glaring at her.

She smirked back at him, her eyes narrow but highly amused. Lex huffed. He really should have gotten a different bodyguard. Smallville couldn't be _that_ dangerous.

+++++

Clark looked up from his desk as he heard a car driving up. It was late, a couple of hours after dinner. He knew it had to be Lex though he wasn't sure what could be so important that he had to come and visit at this time of night. Clark glanced over at Bruce who was gathering up the paperwork that Clark had already finished to take it back inside.

"I'll leave you alone, Master," Bruce said, disapproval obvious in his posture and expression, though his voice was completely neutral. "I'm sure that you don't need me and I do have a bit of work to take care of inside."

"Bruce," Clark said, catching his arm before he could walk by Clark to the stairs out of the loft.

"You know this is good for your image, Master," Bruce said, making a face and shrugging his arm out of Clark's tentative grip. His expression went fierce for a second as he bent to kiss Clark. "He doesn't get your ass though. That's _mine_."

Clark kissed him hard, catching the back of Bruce's neck to pull him into another kiss that was far more passionate and far more serious. When he let Bruce pull back both of their tunics were tenting out and Bruce's lips were kiss-swollen. Bruce smirked, running his free hand down Clark's neck. His fingers sent shivers down Clark's spine. Bruce chuckled, a dark liquid sound and then he walked away. He all but strutted down the stairs, far more confident as he walked out into the darkness to return to the farmhouse. Clark chuckled, shaking his head. His Bruce always had to be the top. He didn't really mind. Bruce had taught him so much about sex and love.

Clark straightened up his remaining paperwork, hearing Lex's higher voice answered by Bruce's deeper tones. He could hear Mercy shadowing Lex but she remained outside as Lex came up the stairs into the loft. Clark smiled at him, his heart beating a little faster. It was strange how differently Bruce and Lex affected him. Bruce would always be able to order Clark around and make him submit. Lex brought out the opposite urges, the ones that made Clark want to take Bruce's role. He blinked in surprise as Lex topped the stairs and entered the pool of light around Clark's desk. His expression was anything but romantic. He looked like he was terrified.

"What's up, Lex?" Clark asked, putting the papers away into a folder and turning to study Lex. "I heard that you were out and about checking on the exploding dog incident."

"Hmm, yes, I was," Lex said, trying to look confident but only succeeding in looking extremely nervous. "You have very good people here in town."

"Thank you," Clark said, smiling at Lex. "They're good people."

He stood and went over to Lex, laying a hand on Lex's shoulder. He wasn't sure what had Lex so jumpy, but Clark was pretty sure that he needed to calm down before he'd be willing to explain what was going on. Lex stiffened at first and then relaxed, leaning into Clark's touch. He had a slightly wild expression around his eyes. He kept darting looks outside at the darkness that covered the farm.

"Sure you're okay?" Clark asked, using one finger to capture Lex's chin and turn his face back to Clark's. "You're kind of pale."

"I'm always pale," Lex said, smiling wryly. "I'm a natural redhead. I couldn't tan if my life depended on it."

"I think you look good without a tan," Clark said, easing just a little closer to Lex.

Lex sighed and swayed closer still, swallowing hard. Clark pulled him the rest of the way into his arms, holding him close. Lex wrapped his arms around Clark, putting his face into the nook between Clark's neck and shoulder. He was shaking very slightly, a fine tremor that wouldn't be noticeable unless you were touching Lex. Clark frowned, gently rubbing Lex's back. He ran over the things that could have made Lex this nervous and came up with exactly one thing.

"You investigated the labs?" Clark murmured almost directly into Lex's ear.

Lex stiffened and abruptly pulled back. There was suspicion and more than a little anger in his eyes as he glared at Clark. The fear was gone, replaced by outrage. Clark sighed, catching Lex and pulling him back. He used enough of his strength to make Lex gasp and then stare at him. Clark normally wouldn't have done so but Grant had made a point of coming out to the farm to tell Clark and Bruce about his discussion with Lex. He'd ever so carefully mentioned the side discussion that they'd had about Lex's baldness.

"You too?" Lex asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah," Clark said, shrugging. "I was two. We don't talk about it."

Lex started chuckling. He nodded slowly, the expression on his face making it obvious that he knew that Grant had come out to talk to Clark about their discussion. Lex relaxed a little and moved back into Clark's arms, sighing. Clark held him, intensely aware of Lex's scent and the feel of his body in Clark's arms. He wasn't that much shorter than Clark and Bruce but the difference felt huge. He was used to Bruce's physique, which nearly matched Clark's. Lex was much slimmer, with a far more lean body than Clark and Bruce's powerfully muscled bodies.

"There are mass graves," Lex murmured. "So many must have died."

"I know," Clark sighed, nuzzling Lex's scalp. "You know why?"

"It's not something that's safe to say," Lex said, shuddering.

"Jack O'Neill's cousin's position?" Clark asked.

Lex stayed still for a long moment, probably running through the genealogy for House O'Neill. There was only one cousin that counted, so Lex made the connection to the Emperor very quickly. He shuddered hard and nodded against Clark's shoulder. Clark sighed, his stomach churning. Bad enough that they were facing danger from House O'Neill's hunt for mutants, now they knew for sure that they had to worry about Lionel taking on the Emperor's Guard.

"Is he nuts?" Clark asked pulling back enough to look into Lex's eyes.

"Yes," Lex laughed as if it was self-evident. "Dreams are one thing, Clark. What he's up to, that's something else entirely. I don't know enough to be sure it's possible but it's serious enough of an attempt that it's…dangerous."

"Great," Clark groaned. "Just what we needed. What are you going to do?"

Lex sighed, making a face. He shrugged. Clark didn't blame Lex for not saying, or maybe for not knowing. Discovering that your life was in imminent danger because your father was trying to overthrow the Emperor wasn't something that was easy to take in. Lex let out a breath slowly, cocking his head to study Clark.

"I suppose what I would most like to do next is prove Mercy right," Lex said, moving to press up against Clark.

"Right about what?" Clark asked, grinning.

"Right that she should supply me with lube and condoms," Lex murmured, chuckling. "Meddler that she is."

Clark spluttered and started laughing. That sounded like something that Bruce would do. Actually it was something that Bruce _had_ done on every single date that Clark had ever gone on. Granted, Clark had been going out with young women who weren't quite appropriate as matches but Bruce had made smug comments about Clark's irresistibility and made sure that Clark had lube and condoms in his pockets. It was kind of telling that Bruce hadn't done it this time.

"I have those in my pocket," Clark said, grinning at Lex. "It's always good to be prepared."

"Quite the Scout, aren't you?" Lex said, running his hands down Clark's sides and up under his tunic's hem.

"I always try and be ready for whatever may happen," Clark said solemnly.

They shared a grin that turned into a fierce kiss. Clark could feel the desperation, the need for comfort in Lex's kisses and touches. He really needed to be reassured, so Clark didn't immediately push him at the couch. He took his time with the kisses and let Lex pull off his tunic. Clark smiled at the way Lex groaned, his fingers tracing the muscles of Clark's stomach and chest. Clark pulled at Lex's tunic, pulling it over his head.

"God but you're stunning," Clark whispered, running his palm over Lex's stomach and pulling him close.

"You're so warm," Lex breathed, wrapping his arms around Clark's waist. "Like a furnace."

"I know," Clark chuckled, gently pushing Lex towards the couch. "Bruce says he doesn't need a heater or a blanket when we curl up together."

"I believe him," Lex said, chuckling.

Clark eased Lex back onto the couch, kneeling between his legs. Lex whimpered, looking at Clark as if him kneeling there was the sexiest thing that he'd ever seen. Clark grinned, draping himself over Lex to nuzzle his neck. Lex's fingers locked into Clark's hair. He tried to shove Clark's mouth further down but Clark didn't budge. He had no intention of rushing things. It wasn't often that he was this interested in someone besides Bruce, so he was going to take his time and make sure that they both enjoyed themselves as much as possible.

"Clark," Lex moaned, shoving and shuddering as Clark tongued his neck and collarbones.

"Uh-uh," Clark murmured into Lex's skin. "Too sexy to hurry it. Let me take care of you, Lex. Let me learn what makes you happy. It'll be better, I promise."

He looked into Lex's eyes, smiling at the way Lex's pupils expanded. He took that for a yes, enjoying the feel of Lex's fingers tugging hard at his hair. It would probably be painful for a regular human but Clark enjoyed it. It felt good. He kissed and licked his way down to Lex's nipples, spending some time there. The tugging changed to groans and clinging, which made Clark smiled. Nice to know that. Bruce didn't like his nipples played with that way.

Clark charted a course down Lex's body, slowly and thoroughly exploring his responses to kisses, licks and little nips. His skin bloomed with bite marks easily but they started fading almost immediately. The mark that Clark had left on Lex's shoulder was nearly gone by the time he reached Lex's pants. It was nice to see that Lex was as special as Clark was. Clark undid Lex's pants, slowly easing them down around his ankles. It only took a second to pull off Lex's shoes, which left Lex as naked as the day he was born. Clark undid his pants and shucked them off. They were getting way too tight anyway.

"Natural?" Clark asked, running his hand over Lex's balls. The lack of hair was different but very sexy.

"Yes," Lex said, the word coming out shaky and almost broken.

"Like it," Clark murmured, bending to lick, kiss and suck at Lex.

"Oh fuck," Lex gasped, bucking.

Clark reached for his pants and found the lube that he kept in his pocket. Lex gasped as Clark started gently massaging his ass. He set trembling hands on Clark's head, slowing Clark's movements. Clark took his time, making sure that this was what Lex wanted. He got the feeling that Lex didn't bottom often, so Clark made sure that he was ready and that he did want it. Lex gasped and then bucked when Clark breached him with a finger. Clark chuckled, continuing to suck him as he fingered him. Lex tugged at Clark's hair after a little bit.

"Clark!" Lex growled. He was glaring when Clark looked up.

"You want more?" Clark asked, wiggling his finger and grinning.

"If you don't get on with it I am going to find a way to hurt you," Lex said, every word so precisely enunciated that it made Clark laugh.

"Okay then," Clark said.

Lex moaned as Clark shifted position to take care of the condom issue and then push slowly into Lex. Clark pulled Lex off of the couch and into his lap. Lex's breath caught and then he wrapped his arms around Clark's neck. They started moving slowly together, Clark using his strength to make it easy for Lex. Lex panted as he moved faster on Clark, taking him deeper and faster than Clark expected.

"Like it hard and fast?" Clark asked, his breath coming faster too.

"Oh yeah," Lex moaned. "Damn you for being so fucking gentle! More!"

"But I like gentle," Clark said, catching Lex's hips to slow them down. "Like taking my time. Like taking care of you."

Lex's breath shuddered as Clark took charge of the sex, giving Lex what he thought he needed. It didn't take very long before Lex was whimpering non-stop. Clark groaned as Lex clamped down on him and came hard enough to cover both of their bellies. Clark smiled and put his face into the crook of Lex's neck. He nuzzled, bit and then pulled Lex into a kiss that was almost more intimate than sex. Lex moaned into Clark's mouth, petting his hair. Clark moved a little faster, a little deeper, finally allowing himself to find his own orgasm. It didn't take much, especially as Lex started squeezing him rhythmically.

"Oh God," Clark gasped.

His rhythm shattered as he came hard. Lex chuckled, giving Clark the time he needed to relax and catch his breath before pulling up and away. They got cleaned up, Lex chuckling as he allowed Clark to make sure that he hadn't been hurt. Clark did worry about it every time he took someone instead of being on the receiving end. At least Lex's bruises and bite marks were fading already.

"Sorry about that," Clark said, running a gentle hand over the bruises on Lex's hips.

"Not a problem," Lex said, smiling as he pulled his clothes back on. "They'll disappear quickly. Rather liked it."

"You like pain?" Clark asked, surprised.

"Depends on who I'm with," Lex said, leaning over to kiss Clark. "I liked it a lot with you so thank you."

"You're welcome," Clark said, pulling his tunic on.

Lex cuddled in Clark's arms for a while longer. He seemed to soak up the attention. Clark couldn't help but feel bad for Lex that he was so starved for love. Of course, given his father it wasn't much of a surprise that Lex didn't get the hugs and affection that he needed. Eventually, Lex pulled back, looking at Clark with a mixture of thanks and hope.

"Would it be all right if I came back in a day or two to talk?" Lex asked. "There's a lot that I'd like to get your feedback on."

"You can visit whenever you want," Clark said, meaning it. "There's a lot that needs to be done on our side, too. Maybe we can help each other."

"I'd like that," Lex said, smiling.

He put a hand on Clark's cheek, running his thumb over Clark's cheekbone. Clark smiled and kissed the inside of Lex's wrist. They shared another kiss before Lex left, heading down the stairs with a much lighter step than he'd come up them. Clark smiled and stretched, waving goodbye from the window in the loft. He gathered up his paperwork and headed inside. Mom and Dad were already in bed since Clark was later than normal coming to bed. Bruce was upstairs in the bedroom. His back stiffened as Clark came in.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, hugging Bruce from behind.

"I'm fine," Bruce growled, his voice deep and dark. "How was Lex?"

"Terrified," Clark murmured into Bruce's ear, not letting himself wince at Bruce's anger. "He figured out what's happening at the labs. He was shaking he's so worried about Jack's cousin finding out."

"Ah," Bruce breathed. He relaxed a little, rubbing Clark's arms around his waist. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. Lionel doesn't allow threats to his plans and he has another heir in Lucas."

"Yeah." Clark sighed, setting his chin on Bruce's shoulder.

They went to bed, Bruce raising an eyebrow as he took the lube and one remaining condom from Clark's pants pocket. He crawled into bed like a lion stalking his prey. Clark shuddered, licking his lips. Bruce pushed Clark back onto the bed, his hand sliding between Clark's legs.

"And how _was_ Lex?" Bruce asked, smiling as he found that Clark wasn't wet. He fixed the problem, his fingers urgent as he prepared Clark.

"Different," Clark moaned, giving Bruce full freedom to do what he wanted with his body. "Submissive. Sexy. Bare, no hair at all. Oh fuck, Bruce!"

"Mine," Bruce growled, spreading Clark's legs apart. "I know you have to do that with him but _this_ is mine!"

"Yes!" Clark gasped, spreading his fingers so that he didn't squeeze Bruce's shoulders. "Yours, always yours, Bruce. Love you so much!"

"Mine!"

Clark moaned, enjoying Bruce just as much as he had Lex. They were so very different but they both fed parts of his soul. He needed Bruce as much as he needed to breathe. He suspected that he was falling for Lex just as badly. He only hoped that he could truly trust Lex. Only time would tell if there was something there that was as real and long-lasting as Clark's bond with Bruce.

+++++

"What do you mean it wasn't really Chill?" Lex demanded, looking utterly offended as he glared at Bruce.

"It wasn't really him," Bruce growled. "He pulled the trigger but someone else put the gun in his hand and forced him to do it."

"That's—"

"I was there, Lex," Bruce snapped, glaring at him. "I'm the only one left who was there. Chill died in gladiatorial combat. Mother and Father are gone. I know what he said and what he did. Don't listen to anyone else."

"What did he say?" Master Clark asked, his head cocked to the side as he studied the two of them.

They'd all been busy the last several days, dealing with entirely too many issues. For Bruce it had been training with Teal'c, a yearly mandatory examination of his person and performance as Clark's slave and helping one of the Houseless forge the correct paperwork to move through the Underground Railroad to Gotham. For Master Clark it had been talks with Dominus William about his position as House Clark heir that had extended for days. Lex had spent the last several days very carefully investigating what his father was up to without making it obvious that he opposed his father's ambitions. None of them were sure Lex had succeeded in his efforts. Bruce had passed his exams, though there was the worry about the Houseless person getting caught before he made it to his new home. Master Clark had managed to deflect all the criticism and come out of his ordeal with a stronger position than before. All three of them were wound far too tight, though you could barely tell on Master Clark. He looked calm and curious as he gazed at Bruce.

"Who? Joe Chill?" Bruce asked, too startled by the question to use the proper respect. Master Clark nodded. Bruce sighed, making a face. "He kept saying that he was sorry, that he needed our money and jewelry. And when he had them he shot my parents anyway. He was about to shoot me when a car drove by the entrance to the alley and he panicked. He ran away, leaving me there with them as they died. Their guards weren't with us. They should have been. I never knew why Father didn't bring them along that night. Neither of my parents' personal slaves was along either."

"Okay," Lex said, stilling to stare at Bruce, "that is odd. No hangers on either?"

"Not a one," Bruce said, his mouth going grim as he thought about it.

That night at the opera was burned into his memory. It was supposed to be a special treat for his mother to get to see her favorite opera alone with Bruce and his father. Alfred had questioned why the slaves and guards weren't going along but he was a true slave, having been born into slavery. Alfred wouldn't challenge his Master and Mistress on something like that. He'd seen Bill Earle, his father's seneschal, at the opera but they weren't seated close to him so nothing had been said between them. Bruce always wondered what would have happened if he hadn't gotten frightened during the performance. Would there have been an assassination in the lobby? Would they have been poisoned during the drinks and socializing afterwards? Had there been a whole set of people who had been forced into being assassins that night and Joe Chill was the one unlucky enough to have his number called?

"Who do you think put him up to it?" Master Clark asked, crossing his legs.

"I've never been sure," Bruce said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Bill Earle gained the most out of it but he's never been elected Dominus of House Wayne. I don't think that he ever will be. No one trusts him back home. Lucius Fox lost a lot when my parents died but he would have been made Dominus if Earle hadn't gotten there first. I know Earle had something to do with my being sold illegally as a slave but I have no proof of it. And there was someone that my father met occasionally, a man from Tibet. I never knew who he was but Mother hated it when he visited. She made a comment once that he left destruction in his wake and she didn't want the family caught up in it."

Master Clark and Lex exchanged puzzled looks. Bruce shrugged. He truly didn't know who had done it. If he knew he would have gone to Gotham years ago despite his lack of training and preparation. Lex sighed, going and sitting in Master Clark's desk chair. Bruce appreciated his not cuddling up to Master Clark. It was difficult enough dealing with the fact that Master Clark might fall in love with Lex to the point that he didn't want Bruce anymore. He didn't need to watch the two of them together.

"I've seen Earle at some of the Dominus meetings," Lex said thoughtfully. "He strikes me as the sort who wants to lead but doesn't have the capacity to do it when push comes to shove."

"Agreed," Master Clark said, nodding. "He seems to be a very good seneschal but he's not Dominus material. There has to be someone behind him pulling his strings."

"That's my read on it," Bruce said, settling cross-legged on the floor. He glared at the two of them. "Why are we discussing this when we should be discussing Lex's situation?"

"Because we managed to get more than three consecutive words about your past out of you and we were running with the success," Lex said, grinning wickedly at Bruce.

Master Clark spluttered and started laughing, grinning at Lex and then nodding as solemnly as he could at Bruce. The pretend seriousness lasted for less than three seconds and then he was snickering. Bruce glared at both of them. He supposed that it was inevitable that they were curious but Bruce still didn't think it was wise to talk about it. It was too dangerous, even with Mercy standing guard outside of the barn.

"What have you found out about your father's activities?" Bruce asked Lex, cutting off their mirth.

"Not enough and too much," Lex sighed, making a face. "He's clearly making a lot of progress on the projects he's got going but I haven't gotten any sense of what his plans are. I think I know what he's going to do but not how he's going to do it."

"Do you think we can save any of the people he's taken?" Master Clark asked. He looked faintly hopeful but mostly resigned.

"I don't know," Lex said. Lines appeared around his mouth and between his eyes and he stilled as if seeing something that no one else could. Bruce thought he must have been seeing the mass graves that they knew surrounded the labs. "I suspect that they're examined, experimented on and then eliminated, Clark. There may not be much left to save."

Master Clark nodded, leaning back into the couch's cushions. His youth showed for a few seconds. He looked like a boy, not man. Bruce wanted to go and wrap his arms around Master Clark, hold him as he had when they were younger and nightmares of falling through fire haunted his dreams. Lex looked like he wanted to comfort Master Clark too. Neither of them moved during the few seconds before Master Clark's shoulders firmed and he set his jaw.

"We'll just have to save the ones who are left," Master Clark declared.

"And keep anyone else from being taken," Lex agreed.

"Is there any way we can get word to the Emperor about this?" Bruce asked.

His mind ticked through options on how to accomplish it. None of them were terribly attractive. It was more likely to bring the Emperor's Guard down on Smallville. Lex went pale, shaking his head no. Master Clark started to shake his head no and then stopped, cocking his head to the side. He held up a finger, staring into space as he thought about it. Bruce frowned, looking at Lex. Lex shrugged. He obviously had no clue what Master Clark was thinking about.

"We need to get a message that something might be going on at the labs to the Emperor, right?" Master Clark said, bouncing to his feet. He started pacing as he thought out loud.

"Yes Master," Bruce said, moving aside so that he wouldn't get stepped on.

"But we have to be really careful how we do it or everything is going to come apart and people are going to die all over the place, here, Metropolis, Gotham," Master Clark said, his voice getting more excited though he kept the volume low in deference for the chance of someone overhearing them.

"Absolutely," Lex said, shuddering. "Between Bruce's issues, my issues and your issues I think we could get easily a million people killed."

"Right," Master Clark said, "but we can use that. No, seriously, we can. House O'Neill has been curious about Smallville for years, ever since the meteor shower. They know the meteors cause mutations. They _don't_ know that Lionel's using those mutations for creating weapons and super soldiers. So how about I use my 'Dominus in Training, too young and a little too innocent act' on Teal'c or one of the House O'Neill people and get them suspicious enough to investigate?"

Bruce snorted, smirking at Master Clark. It was shocking sometimes exactly how effective that act was. He'd seen Master Clark get away with anything from stealing cookies from the cookie jar to convincing people that what they'd just seen had to be an act of nature instead of mutant powers. The only people that he knew of that it didn't work on were Bruce himself and Mistress Martha. Lex stiffened, looking doubtful.

"What in the world are you going to say?" Lex demanded.

"Oh, I don't know," Master Clark said thoughtfully. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes as his body language shifted as he talked. "How about 'I'm really reluctant to bring this up, but we're kind of having issues with the labs House Luthor has in town. I don't want to stir up trouble because I know I have a lot to learn and House Luthor is our superior, but we've got this problem. See, we're trying to clean up the area as you requested but they won't let us into the lab's fences and a few people have disappeared in that area so we think that there might be some sort of mutant activity going on but we can't confirm it. I was sort of hoping that you could give me a little advice on how to work with them better so that this can be taken care of without anyone getting in trouble. The last thing I want is for anyone to get in trouble. I'm sure it's just that I haven't asked correctly.'"

Master Clark's humble attitude was perfectly mixed with the annoyance of a born Dominus at being blocked. He managed to throw in just enough respect for those more experienced and knowledgeable than himself. That added to the just wide enough eyes, slight pout and confident but deferential body language made his little speech a work of art.

"Very nice," Bruce commented, getting a grin from Master Clark as he dropped the act.

"That was beautiful," Lex said, his voice a mixture of awe and amusement.

"Thank you," Master Clark said, bowing slightly. "Lots of practice. Think that will work to get House O'Neill into the game without endangering us too much?"

Bruce exchanged a look with Lex. Bruce didn't like the thought of calling them in at all but they had to block Lionel somehow. House O'Neill was the best choice for that. The Emperor's Guard would sweep in, kill people first, and sort out the facts later. House O'Neill at least had to follow the same sorts of rules that they did. Lex looked like he was afraid but was trying to suppress it. His face went as blank as a mask for a long moment and then he nodded slowly. Bruce sighed and nodded too.

"I think it should work, Master Clark," Bruce said. "I don't like it but we don't have many options right now."

"We don't have many options period," Lex muttered, letting out a breath that was a little too explosive to be a sigh.

"That should give us a handle on Lionel," Master Clark said thoughtfully. "There's not much that can be done about my worries with House O'Neill. I mean I am what I am. That's not going to change. So what else can we do about your situation, Bruce?"

"Nothing Master," Bruce said, shrugging. "At least nothing currently. Without more information from Gotham I think we're stuck."

"Not necessarily," Lex said, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. "If we could find out who that strange man from your childhood was it might give us more information. Think you could do a sketch of him? I could work on tracking his identity down."

Bruce opened his mouth to say no but Master Clark had his hopeful puppy eyes on and Lex looked like he was being honestly helpful. Bruce sighed and nodded. He took a pad of paper from Master Clark's desk and started sketching, trying to remember what the man had looked like. It wasn't easy. It had been so long and he'd never talked to the man directly. He remembered the thick brown hair combed away from the man's forehead, revealing a widow's peak. He remembered the long goatee that seemed stereotypically Asian. His clothes had always been normal and respectably cut, but the fabric they were made from had been strange, nubbly wools and silks instead of cottons. Bruce thought about it as he sketched, eventually stalling out on the man's eyes.

"Huh, he's pretty distinctive," Lex said, looking over Bruce's shoulder at the drawing. "When was the last time you saw him?"

Bruce frowned and stiffened. His fingers clamped down on the pencil he'd been using, breaking it. The barn, Master Clark and Lex faded as he flashed back to the funeral. Alfred had been standing next to him by the grave. Bill Earle had been on the other side, his hand resting paternally on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce could remember every detail of the graves, the gaping holes of darkness about to be filled with all that remained of his parents. He remembered looking up and seeing the man gazing at him from behind the first rank of mourners. His eyes had been far too intense, almost burning as he gazed at Bruce. His eyes had flicked to Earle and he nodded slightly. Earl's hand had tightened on Bruce's shoulder for just a second before he let go, his hand dropping off of Bruce's shoulder. Bruce remembered looking up at Earle and seeing satisfaction rather than grief in Earle's eyes.

"He's the one who gave the order to sell me," Bruce gritted in the voice of his darkness, taking a second pencil and drawing in the burning eyes of the strange man. "He gave the order and Earle carried it out."

Bruce finished the drawing and held it up to study it. He nodded. That was the man. He didn't know his name yet or why he'd destroyed Bruce's life, but he had no doubt that this man was the one who had destroyed his life. Lex and Master Clark were both silent, studying the drawing with him. Bruce may not have a name yet but he would eventually. Once he did, he would do whatever it took to stop him.

+++++

"All right," Lex said, studying the picture that Bruce had drawn of his nemesis. "I'll take this and do some investigation. It shouldn't be too hard to track him down. He seems familiar somehow."

"Be careful," Bruce said, his voice almost an inhuman growl. "He's obviously got some powerful friends. You don't want to go up against him."

"I don't intend to go up against him," Lex snapped, glaring at Bruce. "I'm not an _idiot_. Anyone who can sell the heir to House Wayne into slavery and keep it a secret for this long isn't someone I would mess with."

"Glad to see that you've finally learned some discretion," Bruce said, glaring.

Lex bristled, reacting automatically to the anger in Bruce's expression and voice. It was far too much like his arguments with his father. Lionel's snide comments echoed in the back of his head mixing with the words that Bruce had voiced. Bruce stiffened, glaring at Lex. Lex glared right back. A rational portion of his mind tried to remember that Bruce was angry with what had happened to him, not with Lex. Lex was just the closest target for his anger. Bruce couldn't get angry with Clark. Clark was his Master. He certainly couldn't get angry with anyone else on the farm. He also had to see Lex as an interloper in his life so Lex was an easy target. It didn't help him deal with the wave of fury that Bruce had set off. Clark straightened up, holding up his hands. He moved between the two of them.

"Guys, calm down," Clark said. "This isn't the time to be fighting and you shouldn't be fighting each other."

"Don't blame me," Lex snapped, wrestling with the familiar fury. "I'm not the one who started biting off heads."

Bruce's head reared back as if he was about to blame Lex for the whole argument. Clark put his hand on Bruce's shoulder. Bruce's shoulders went hard as stone. His eyes looked just as hard as he glared at Lex. Clark squeezed and Bruce sighed, giving Clark a stern look that was met by a gentle smile. Bruce opened his mouth to say something, his shoulders slowly relaxing.

"Clark!" Martha called from the house, making all three of them jumps. "Father's on the phone. He needs to talk to you about the Adrioni contract."

"Oh for…!" Clark said, biting on his tongue as he rolled his eyes to glare at the roof of the barn. His lips moved as if he was silently counting to ten. "Don't kill each other guys. I'll be back as quick as possible. I mean it, Bruce. I don't want to see any bruises on either of you."

"Yes Master," Bruce said, the words sounding far more like 'fuck you' than anything respectful.

Clark sighed, catching Bruce's face to kiss him firmly. Lex stomped on his automatic jealousy. Bruce's smug expression when Clark finally let him go didn't help. Clark patted Lex's shoulder, making a rueful smile before hurrying down the stairs and out of the barn. Lex stepped back, carefully folding the picture and putting it in his pocket. Bruce stepped back too, his jaw working. They stood in silence for a long moment. Lex looked at Bruce, shook his head and then sat on the chair opposite the couch. Maybe letting Bruce have the higher position physically would help calm his temper. Besides, there was no reason to stand. Clark could be back any second or it could take an hour for him to be done with his call.

"He really loves you," Lex said, saying out loud what Bruce had to be thinking about Lex.

"I'm a slave," Bruce growled, glaring at Lex.

"Only for a little while longer," Lex replied, shrugging. "We'll get you back to Gotham and you'll be nearly equal in rank to Jack O'Neill. You'll be higher in rank than Clark is, Bruce. He'll be yours."

"I'm a slave _now_ ," Bruce reiterated. "I doubt that you'll give me the time to get my position back. You have the rank now. I'm surprised that you haven't made your move already."

Lex stiffened, glaring at Bruce. He couldn't believe that Bruce had said something that rude. He stood up, using all of his father's lessons to try and control how much of his emotions he showed. He wasn't going to give Bruce any more ammunition if he could help it. His hands were shaking slightly so Lex clenched them into fists.

"Is that what you think of me?" Lex asked, hearing how brittle his tone of voice was but unable to change it. "You used to be my friend Bruce. Have you forgotten who I am or do you think I've changed that much?"

Bruce winced, looking away. He rubbed the back of his neck, running his thumb along the top edge of his silver slave collar. Lex kept glaring. If that was what he thought then there was no way that they could work together, no matter how important this was. He wanted Bruce restored to his position as Dominus. He'd be a hell of a lot better in the job than Earle ever could, not to mention the fact that he already cared about Clark. Clark's obvious love for Bruce made Lex's heart hurt but if it made him and Bruce happy he'd do what he had to to get them together, even though it would leave Lex out in the cold. The first person he'd been interested in marrying in years was head over heels for the first person Lex had ever been interested in.

"No, that's not what I think," Bruce said, sighing. "I'm sorry. Clark's… everything for me, Lex. It hurts to have to share him, especially when I see how fascinated he is by you. That was uncalled for."

"You think this isn't hard for me?" Lex snapped, glaring at Bruce in a blaze of fury that surprised him. " Clark's sexy as all hell and I like him a lot but I always thought _I'd_ be the one marrying you!"

Lex winced and looked away as soon as the words spilled out of his mouth. He hadn't intended to say that. Bruce had been gone for so long that it had been easy enough to sweep that old dream into a mental closet to be forgotten. He had spent the years since Bruce's disappearance looking for another person that fit as well with him as Bruce. He'd learned very quickly that finding that combination of charm, protectiveness, intelligence and drive had been all but impossible. Clark had been the first person that he thought could keep up with him but Clark had fallen for Bruce first. Despite Bruce's insecurities about his status there was no way that Clark was going to give him up whether he was a slave or a Dominus. That was painfully obvious. Lex felt like he'd finally found his match only to have both of his options stolen at the last second.

"Lex?" Bruce asked.

"Forget I said that," Lex said, refusing to look at him. "I should be going. There's a lot of work to do if we're going to get you back to Gotham."

"Lex," Bruce insisted, catching Lex's shoulder as he tried to walk away.

Lex tried to knock his hand away but Bruce caught his wrist. He used a grip that reminded Lex of Mercy in action, twisting Lex around so that he could catch Lex's other arm. Lex glared at him, noting in that instant of calm before he started fighting or shouted for Mercy that Bruce was just the same height as Clark. Bruce's eyes weren't angry anymore. They were surprised and tender and rueful, taking a lot of the wind out of Lex's metaphorical sails.

"You…" Bruce said, not releasing Lex.

"Forget I said that," Lex ordered, using his best Dominus voice.

"You have to be kidding," Bruce snorted, raising an eyebrow at him. "That's the last thing I'd ever forget. We talked about it when we were little but I didn't think that you took it that seriously."

"Of course I took it seriously!" Lex snarled, wrenching his wrist and arm trying to break Bruce's grip. "You were Bruce Wayne! Father was delighted about it when I prattled to him about it. He was in a fury for weeks after you disappeared. Let me go!"

Bruce kept his grip on Lex, shifting closer so that they were standing nearly chest-to-chest. Lex tried to step back but Bruce followed him, running him into the barn's wall. They ended up by the open window that looked out over the farmyard, where almost anyone could see them together. Bruce ground them together, pushing Lex's arms up against the rough wood. Lex moaned in spite of himself, his heart pounding. How many of his fantasies went just like this, except being set in Wayne Manor or his father's mansion?

"You really wanted to marry me," Bruce said, his eyes like blue lasers as he watched Lex's reactions.

"Who wouldn't?" Lex quipped, refusing to admit to the attraction Bruce could feel easily enough through their tunics and Lex's pants.

"Always were stubborn," Bruce murmured. He bent his head and captured Lex's lips before he could make a retort.

It was nothing like kissing Clark. Clark had been playful, teasing as he kissed Lex and then joyfully taking control. Kissing Clark had been sexy as hell but in a lighthearted way. Kissing Bruce was anything but lighthearted and teasing. Bruce took control before his lips touched Lex. The way he angled his head and pressed against Lex's body had Lex lined up perfectly without Lex being consciously aware of it. He kissed Lex like he owned him, like every atom of Lex's body belonged to him. Lex whimpered, pushing against Bruce's grip on his wrists. Bruce pushed back, keeping him pinned to the wall until Lex's mind let go of the years of resistance and he relaxed into Bruce's control.

"Mmm…."

Bruce smiled into Lex's lips, cautiously loosening his grip and sliding his hands down Lex's arms and then to his waist. Lex let his mouth slide open just a fraction. Bruce's tongue was there taking advantage of it instantly. Lex groaned, wrapping his arms around Bruce's neck and pulling him even closer. Lex had been surprised when Clark started flirting with his ass. He wasn't at all surprised when Bruce did it. It seemed like an immutable law of nature that Bruce topped in all sexual encounters. It was so automatic an assumption that Lex didn't bother with more than a gasp when he felt Bruce's fingers pulling his pants open. Bruce pulled back, spun Lex around and then pressed him up against the barn wall again.

"Fuck!" Lex gasped. "Bruce!"

"Hush," Bruce ordered, his voice dropping into that raspy lower register that he'd used earlier when telling Lex to be careful.

"No, won't!" Lex snapped, shoving back against Bruce's hips.

"If you don't want me to get beaten for raping you then be quiet!" Bruce growled, smoothing something cool and wet onto Lex to prepare him.

Lex whined deep in his throat, shoving against Bruce again. His erection was getting painfully hard. Bruce chuckled into his ear and then pushed two fingers into Lex abruptly. Lex gasped, shutting his eyes and giving himself over to the fantasy come true. Bruce crooned something wordlessly in his ear, his fingers fucking Lex hard and fast. Bruce all but crushed Lex against the wall of the barn, taking everything that Lex had to offer. When he switched from his fingers to his penis Lex shuddered, his throat closing up on a shuddering wail of pleasure. It came out as a tiny whimper that hurt. Bruce pulled Lex's hips out, shoving his head down so that he had a better angle and could go deeper. He set a brutal pace, pounding into Lex hard enough to make him feel like he was being spanked. He'd never felt anything this good before. Lex felt like he was flying from the endorphins, from the release, from getting his fantasies fulfilled, at least until he started whimpering in anticipation of orgasm and Bruce's fingers locked around his cock, keeping him from coming.

"Bruce!" Lex hissed, biting his lip to keep from crying out.

"Not yet!" Bruce growled, sounding more like a beast than a man.

Bruce proceeded to fuck Lex until his legs nearly gave out, hitting his prostate with every thrust. He hit triggers that Lex hadn't known he'd had. Lex shuddered and whimpered and bit through his lip to keep from shouting at how good it felt. It would have been perfect, except that Clark's enthusiastic young face loomed in the back of his mind when all Lex wanted to think about was Bruce filling him up over and over again. It felt like forever. It felt like no time at all. It felt like being punished and like being rewarded. In the end Bruce fucked Lex well enough that even comparisons went away and there was only the pure, raw pleasure of being taken and made to feel. This time when Lex's orgasm roared up on him Bruce joined him, clamping his hands down around Lex's hips hard enough to leave bruises. He heard Bruce make a strangled groan that matched the one that Lex suppressed as they came within seconds of each other.

"Bruce…" Lex breathed, sighing with relief as Bruce pulled out and then settled to the floor of the loft with Lex in his arms.

"Shouldn't have done that," Bruce panted.

Lex nodded agreement, waiting for his heart to slow down. He was sore, and sweaty, and already starting to feel afraid that someone had heard them, seen them. It would be a disaster for Bruce to have anyone see that he'd fucked another Master. It would be an embarrassment for Clark. Lionel would pitch a fit of scriptural proportions. According to him Luthors always topped.

"Master Clark will be upset," Bruce said a little later, sounding utterly upset about it.

Lex sighed and nodded agreement again. He pulled away from Bruce. Bruce let him go. They cleaned themselves up and Lex pulled his pants up again, shuddering at the way they felt. He was exceedingly glad that his bruises healed overnight most of the time. Bruce really hadn't held back.

"That… I'm sorry," Bruce said, in the closest to a true slave's voice that Lex had heard out of him.

"No, don't be sorry," Lex said, looking at Bruce. "It didn't happen. We just got in a fight, that's all."

"Right," Bruce said, nodding as if he was trying to convince himself of it.

His hands were shaking ever so slightly. Lex reached out and caught Bruce's hand before he could turn away. Bruce froze, staring at Lex as if he was afraid. Lex sighed, gently squeezing Bruce's hand. It took a bit of effort to get the words out but Lex knew that Bruce needed to hear them.

"He loves you best," Lex said, beating down the confusing wash of emotion that tried to force its way out. "The two of you have been together much longer. This didn't happen, Bruce. I've got to get going. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done. Tell Clark I'll be in touch sometime soon."

Lex let Bruce's hand go and somewhat to his surprise Bruce let him go too. He stood aside and let Lex go down the stairs. Mercy had her I-heard-nothing face on when he got outside. She took the driver's seat. Lex sat in the back and sighed. He caught her looking at him in the rear view mirror a couple of times but she didn't say anything. When they got back to the mansion she held his door for him like the perfect personal slave.

"Sparing after dinner?" Mercy asked as they headed into the mansion.

"That sounds perfect," Lex said. "I'll see you there. I think a long session would do me some good."

He was pleased that his voice came out perfectly calm and controlled. He knew Mercy knew when all she did was look at him out of the corner of her eye and hold his bedroom door for him.

"Yes sir, I'm sure it would."

+++++

Clark thought that the problem with having super powers was that no one normal realized just how much you could do.

Certainly Bruce knew that Clark could hear almost anything that he chose to focus on but it obviously didn't connect that he cared about both Bruce and Lex, thus he'd be listening for a fight in the loft while talking to his grandfather on the phone. Lex's blurted confession had made Clark start hard enough that Mom gave him a look and raise her eyebrow at him. Clark shook his head and waved her off, gesturing at the phone as if someone had done something too loud for him. She'd chuckled and gone on making pie for dessert. The sex in the barn that followed had Clark squirming in his seat and desperately wishing that his grandfather didn't insist on going over every single clause one by one. He would have much rathered gone out and watched or better yet joined in. It took nearly an hour and a half for them to finish reviewing the Adrioni contract. Lex left long before he was done. Bruce stayed in the loft, at first pacing and cursing at himself under his breath and then going silent as he sat on the couch. Clark couldn't help but be relieved that it was the couch and not in one of the dark corners of the loft. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to get Bruce to calm down. Sometimes when he hid in the corner it took forever to get him out.

"I'm going to get back to what I was working on, Mom," Clark said once he finally hung up.

"All right, dear," Mom said. "Let Bruce know that I've got some more paperwork for him to work on."

"I will," Clark said. "I think he's still a little upset about Lex and um, you know, what we told you about the other day."

They'd told Mom and Dad about Bruce's true name and position, prompting Mom to ask a million questions that Bruce refused to answer and Dad to get very pale and worried about what would happen when it came out that he'd been their slave. It hadn't changed their lives yet but Clark knew that Mom was holding Dad back from pushing Bruce straight into the Underground Railroad and back to Gotham. It wasn't that Dad wanted Bruce out of their lives. He was just worried about everyone in Smallville being punished if Bruce was found out.

"Yes, I'm sure he is," Mom said, frowning at the barn through the kitchen window. "Take some time and see if you can calm him down. His forgeries are so much better than mine."

"Yes, Mom," Clark said, laughing.

They didn't consider the forged paperwork for Houseless people to start new lives to be that big of a deal despite the consequences for being caught, but then Mom usually didn't refer to it as forgery. She preferred euphemisms like 'traveling papers' or 'change of address cards' just in case someone was listening. It was unusual to hear her say it outright like that.

"Oh stop that, you," Mom said, rolling her eyes. "You know what I meant."

"I know, I know," Clark said, still laughing. "It's just the way you said it!"

He ducked the puff of flour she flicked at him and headed outside to the barn, still grinning. He stopped grinning once he got up to the loft. Bruce was sitting on the couch, his elbows on his knees and his head bowed as if he was waiting for his head to be chopped off. Clark sighed and climbed the last couple of steps. He looked at Bruce and waited. Bruce's shoulders got stiffer and his knuckles went white but he didn't move. Clark shook his head and went to sit next to Bruce on the couch, lolling his head against the back cushion so that he was watching Bruce's shoulders. They were usually a far better indicator of what he really felt than his face.

"So you proposed or something when you two were little?" Clark asked.

Bruce started as badly as if Clark had laid a red-hot poker across his back. He still didn't speak.

"I was just wondering," Clark continued. "That comment about always thinking that the two of you were going to marry made me think you must have done something like a proposal at some point."

"You heard," Bruce whispered.

"Of course," Clark said, smiling sadly at Bruce's still rock hard shoulders. "I was afraid you two were going to rip each other's throats out. I wanted to be able to zip out here and stop it before it got dangerous. Explains where the tension was coming from anyway."

"I'm sorry, Master," Bruce said, turning and kneeling between Clark's knees. Guilt was written all over his face as he stared up at Clark.

"What for?" Clark asked, smiling at him as gently as he could when he all wanted to do was hug Bruce until the guilt and anger went away.

"For…." Bruce waved his hand towards the window as if that explained everything.

Clark chuckled, pulling Bruce into a hug that put his groin pressed directly against Clark's. It was a testament to how upset Bruce was that he didn't seem to notice it. Clark held Bruce until the stiffness changed to clinging and then until the clinging changed to a long, slow sigh that let all the tension drain out of him. Clark had learned when he was tiny to hang on when hugging Bruce. Bruce might complain and resist but in the end he relaxed and felt better.

"I raped him," Bruce murmured into Clark's shoulder. "You should be punishing me."

"Didn't sound to me like he thought it was rape," Clark commented, rubbing Bruce's back.

"I didn't have permission to touch him," Bruce huffed. "For a slave that qualifies as rape."

"Fine, you have permission to touch him," Clark said, laughing as Bruce pulled away and glared at him. "No, seriously. If anyone heard I'll just tell them that I gave Lex permission to use you that way. It's not like it's unheard of for two Masters who are courting to share their slaves. Not that I think anyone would do that with Mercy. I'm certainly not going to. She's kind of scary."

Bruce spluttered, shaking his head at Clark. He sat on the couch next to Clark, wrapping an arm around Clark's shoulders. Still upset, Clark thought. He rested his head on Bruce's shoulder, smiling at the little sub vocal rumble of contentment Bruce made. They sat for a long while in silence, watching the sunset paint the inside of the barn shades of red and gold.

"My parents forbid it," Bruce said.

"What?" Clark asked, sitting up a little to look at Bruce.

"They overheard us talking when we were little," Bruce said, his eyes full of old, old sadness. "My mother was friends with Lillian, Lex's mother, so they were invited over a lot. Unfortunately, my parents hated Lionel. House Luthor was tiny at that point, smaller than House Clark is now. Mom thought that Lillian had married too far below her station though I don't think she ever said it directly to her. There weren't many kids that I was allowed to play with but I was allowed to play with Lex. I was six. Lex was five. His father had said something cruel and he was crying so I told him that when we grew up I'd marry him, take him away from his family and then forbid his father to set foot in the Manor."

"I'm trying to picture a wee little Bruce proposing to a wee little Lex," Clark said, grinning with delight. "That must have been the most adorable thing ever."

Bruce laughed, kissing Clark's cheek. He nodded but the sadness was still in his eyes.

"My parents overheard it," Bruce repeated. "After Lex and Lillian had gone home they had one of those Very Serious Discussions with me."

"Ooo, I hate those," Clark said, wincing.

"Mother was very good at them," Bruce said with a sigh, "just as good as your mother. I think all mothers must take lessons in Very Serious Discussions. Anyway, they explained that while it was all right to be friends with Lex and that I could have him over whenever I wanted, he wasn't at our rank, as Mother put it. He could be a lover, a friend, even an ally but he could never be a husband for me."

"Seriously?" Clark asked, startled.

"Yes," Bruce said, making a face. "I never told Lex about the talk. I never offered to marry him again either. I sort of assumed that Lillian had had the same discussion with him because he never mentioned it, but it looks like Lionel got there instead and fed Lex's dreams. Mother and Father made it very clear that when we were older they wouldn't object to us having sex but all that we could ever have together was sex. It would never be a real relationship."

Clark nodded. That explained a bit more about the surprise sex. Bruce had been giving Lex the only thing that he could. Bruce looked at the fading sunset colors outside the window, obviously seeing times gone past. Clark frowned as he watched Bruce's expression.

"Well, I suppose it's not that much of a problem now," Clark said.

"What?" Bruce asked, surprise written all over his face.

"House Luthor's getting close in rank to House Wayne," Clark said. "And House Clark's way lower down. When you're restored Lex is going to be the appropriate match, not me. Not that it really matters. If it becomes known that Lex and I helped you regain your position as Dominus no one will be surprised if we do an alliance marriage."

"I suppose so. And how long have you been plotting this?" Bruce asked, amusement finally washing the sadness away in his eyes.

"Oh, since I met Lex," Clark said with a huge grin. "I revised the plan when we found out who you are. I think it's a better plan for the revision. I've already started looking for a bed big enough for all three of us. And maybe for a fourth for when we decide we need heirs. A bed that big is expensive. We'll probably need to commission one so that it'll be strong enough to handle me."

Bruce laughed again, shaking his head in dismay. The laugh quickly turned into one of Bruce's fierce, commanding looks. Clark grinned, glad that Bruce was finally letting go of his guilt. It'd probably take four or five more of these discussions and the following rounds of nice rough sex for him to be fully over it but that was all right. The hard part would be getting Lex to understand that it was fine with Clark. Clark pushed those plans out of his mind as Bruce shoved him back onto the couch cushions. Sex first, plotting later. He'd just have to call or visit Lex to let him know that they had permission in the future.

+++++

Teal'c studied his students while calling out the moves that they should be practicing. Some were hopeless. No matter how hard they tried they would never be adequate warriors. The best that Teal'c could hope to do would be to train them well enough that they managed to run away. The majority would be competent, perhaps even skillful someday if they continued to study. And then there were two who were a joy to observe: Mercy, his newest student, battled with Bruce, Teal'c's favorite student. Teal'c would never tell Bruce that he was his favorite. That was something that was not said, even among the Jaffa. It was shown without words. Teal'c was grateful that House O'Neill's focus on Smallville had revealed such a talented young warrior. He understood Master Bra'tac considerably better now that he had a promising young student of his own to tutor. It was a pity that he could not use his full strength to tutor Bruce, but human bodies did not heal as quickly as Jaffa bodies.

"Faster!" Teal'c snapped, using his staff to take Bruce's legs out from under him.

Mercy did not hesitate in her attack. She left several small openings that Teal'c intended to correct. Bruce used one of those openings as he rolled back to his feet, knocking her back several feet. She recovered quickly, returning to the attack. Teal'c circled the two young warriors, showing Mercy her mistakes with sudden attacks that left her eyes blazing. Bruce took his corrections with his customary cold calm, rocking with the blows and continuing his training.

"Enough!" Teal'c snapped, making all the students in the room stop. "We are done for today. Continue your studies. I shall see you in one week."

Teal'c bowed formally to the class as they bowed to him. The majority of the students left the training room, returning to their duties. Bruce and Mercy turned to Teal'c, awaiting instructions as was appropriate given that their Masters had put them in his care. Teal'c checked and nodded that Master Clark and Master Alexander were waiting outside the training room. He firmly suppressed a smile when he saw that they were quite obviously flirting with each other. Master O'Neill would find that quite interesting when Teal'c returned home. They made an attractive couple with their differing sizes and coloration. Master Alexander's mutation for baldness only increased his physical appeal. It was obvious that Master Clark found him quite fascinating. Teal'c thought that it would be good for Master Clark to look to someone besides his slave for affection. It wasn't good to get too attached to those so far below one in rank. Master Alexander looked up as Teal'c approached, Mercy and Bruce in tow. Master Clark blinked and then smiled warmly at Teal'c.

"I return your slaves to you," Teal'c said formally, taking Mercy's wrist and passing it to Master Alexander and Bruce's wrist and passing it to Master Clark.

"Thank you," Master Alexander said, not taking the ceremony as seriously as he should have. "Clark, I'll call you later."

"Sure, Lex," Master Clark said, beaming at him. He waved goodbye with a moon-struck expression in his eyes. When he saw Teal'c's expression he blushed violently, bowing properly to Teal'c. "Thank you for your care of my slave."

"You are quite welcome," Teal'c said, smiling slightly.

"Umm, Bruce, I left my briefcase in the classroom," Master Clark said, looking decidedly nervous. "Can you go get it for me?"

"Of course, Master," Bruce said, bowing with only the slightest wince from his bruised ribs. He bowed again to Teal'c and then headed back inside to locate Master Clark's briefcase.

Master Clark fidgeted even worse, looking around to make sure that no one was listening. Teal'c came to attention, using his training to ensure that his shoulders did not tense and reveal his attention. He wondered if this would be the time when Master Clark admitted to his 'mutations'. He rather doubted it. Master Clark was doing a very good job of convincing himself that he was undetectable and a mutated human. Teal'c rather hoped that he would be there when Master Clark discovered his true nature.

"Um, I have a little problem," Master Clark said. "We're trying to follow House O'Neill's directive to clean all the mutant problems up in town but well, I'm kind of running into a roadblock, Teal'c. I was wondering if you could give me a little advice on how to handle it. Normally I do a pretty good job of handling people but this time I feel like I'm flubbing it."

"If I can help I will be glad to, Master Clark," Teal'c said with an appropriately grave expression rather than the smile he wanted to use. Master Clark was so young at times.

"Thank you," Master Clark said, almost sagging with relief. "It's not that big of deal really. It's just that we're trying to do a sweep and find all of the meteor fragments that fell around town. We think we've gotten about 65% of them so far and we've marked six sites that will need a lot more clean up but there's one place we haven't been able to get into."

"Do you not have full authority over Smallville?" Teal'c asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Officially yes," Master Clark said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But we report to House Luthor and they have those labs outside of town. So the labs and their property are actually House Luthor territory. It's a touchy situation. I don't want to offend Dominus Luthor, especially since, you know, I met Lex, but I can't seem to get them to agree to let any of our people in there to check for meteors. I did put in a formal request to House Luthor with all the documentation of what we're trying to do, but so far I haven't heard back about it. It'd only take an hour or so to check the grounds but so far I haven't had any luck."

"I see," Teal'c said, nodding slowly. "Have they stated why they will not granted access?"

Master Clark nodded, rolling his eyes. Bruce came back from the building with a briefcase in his hand. He took in the two of them talking quietly and stayed just outside of hearing range. Teal'c inwardly nodded approval as Bruce started scanning the area for anyone who might approach. His favorite student's training continued to be excellent though he should be scanning above them as well as along the street.

"Yeah," Master Clark said, looking disgusted and exceedingly young. "They said that it wasn't safe for outsiders to check the grounds. Something about energy discharges. I tried to tell them that that was why we wanted to get in there, to remove the meteorites so that they'd stop causing the energy bursts but they didn't listen."

Master Clark continued explaining the various things that he had tried—all of which were quite appropriate and polite—but Teal'c wasn't listening. Dominus Jack had been quite certain that Smallville held a threat to the Emperor, despite the fact that there was no evidence other than some ambiguous high altitude scans. This was the first time Teal'c had found anything that directly corroborated Dominus Jack's instinct. When Master Clark stopped talking Teal'c nodded as calmly as he could given the excitement he was containing.

"I think that perhaps you have exhausted your options in town," Teal'c said. "It would be better to focus on getting the approval from House Luthor or arranging for them to perform the sweep for the meteorites. I will inform Dominus O'Neill of your efforts. I believe that he will be pleased with them."

"Oh, thank you," Master Clark said, brightening up. "I really appreciate that, Teal'c. I don't want Dominus Luthor or Dominus O'Neill to think that we're not taking it seriously. We are trying our best to get this straightened out. It's just a hard problem to eliminate fully."

Teal'c nodded, smiled gently and bowed before departing. He headed back to the flyer that awaited him, waiting until they were in the air to trigger his transporter back to the House O'Neill Gate room. The pilot of the flyer could return home on his own. Teal'c needed to report his findings to his Dominus as quickly as possible. Teal'c hurried through the hallways to find Dominus O'Neill. As expected, he was in Daniel Jackson's laboratory, playing with an Ancient device of unknown purpose. Daniel Jackson was in the background, working on a translation written on a whiteboard. They both looked up as Teal'c came in and closed the door.

"Hey, Teal'c," Dominus Jack said, setting it aside. "What's up?"

"I believe that we may have a lead on the exotic weapons that are threatening the Emperor's peace, Dominus," Teal'c said.

"Really?" Dominus Jack said, taking his feet off of the desk and sitting up to study Teal'c carefully. "Well, tell me all about it."

"It was young Master Clark who gave me the information," Teal'c said, sitting at Dominus Jack's wave. "He was having some trouble interfacing with House Luthor's labs in Smallville and he asked me for advice."

Daniel stopped working and came over to rest his hands on Dominus Jack's shoulders. Jack raised a hand and squeezed Daniel's fingers gently. Teal'c smiled and proceeded to explain what he believed was going on at the labs. If House Luthor actually were in the process of making and testing the exotic prototype weapons that they had captured a few weeks ago, then the labs in Smallville would be the perfect location to do so. Now they only had to allow Dominus Jack to play the political games that would allow them to raid the location. Hopefully soon Teal'c would be able to use his training in real battle, though he rather hoped that Bruce would not be called upon to face him. Teal'c would hate to have to kill his favorite student.

+++++

Loud music blared through Lex's bedroom, making him start and groan.

He swatted his alarm clock, shutting it off. Lex stretched slowly and rolled out of bed, heading to the bathroom. He'd spent entirely too much time last night searching for Bruce's mystery man. He'd managed to find a single name—Henri Ducard—but nothing more. Just finding the name had been nearly impossible.

It looked like Lionel had some association with Ducard. Unfortunately that was just an inference based off of an old photo that Lex had found that showed Lionel and Ducard at the same reception held by House Wayne shortly after Bruce's disappearance. Finding that had been pure luck. Lex didn't like the thought that his father might be involved with the forces that had destroyed Bruce's life, but he wouldn't be terribly surprised if it was true. Of course it could also simply be coincidence that Lionel and Ducard had been there together. It had been a large reception designed to show off House Wayne's continuing power despite the loss of the Dominus' entire family.

The shower didn't help clear Lex's head. His worry about the little talk that Clark had had with Teal'c two days ago was weighing on his mind. Waiting for House O'Neill to make its move was wearing on his nerves. The hunt for Ducard was a decent distraction from his other problems. All of it was an excellent way of avoiding fussing over his… incident with Bruce. Clark had said that it was all right but Lex still felt bad about it. None of it was good for Lex's eating and sleeping patterns. Lex dressed and headed down to his office, settling in with a cup of coffee and a bagel freshly delivered from the kitchen. Mercy was already there, organizing his work for the day. The small folder of information on Ducard and Bruce's sketch were still waiting for him, reminding him of what he needed to do to save Bruce.

"Mercy, what's my first appointment of the day?" Lex asked as he settled in with his coffee.

"You have a 9:00 with the head of Luthor Labs in town," Mercy said, consulting her PDA. "He's supposed to report on the progress landscaping the fence line around the labs. Your 10:00 appointment is—"

Mercy broke off as the front door slammed open, the report of the door hitting the wall sounding like a shot through the house. Lex frowned, standing up. There was only one person he could think of who habitually broke doors slamming them open. He hadn't expected his father to come to Smallville anytime soon. He was proven right as Lionel slammed open the doors to Lex's office, sweeping down on him with his guards following behind him, rage covering his face.

"Get them out!" Lionel demanded, slapping his fists down on Lex's desk.

"Who?" Lex asked, confused.

"House O'Neill!" Lionel growled. "Get them out of here!"

"Dad, you need to explain," Lex said, sighing. "What are you talking about? What's House O'Neill done this time?"

"They've demanded access to the labs," Lionel said, glaring at Lex as if he was Dominus O'Neill. "Someone must have said something. We need to get them out of town and away from the labs immediately."

Lex sighed, sitting down. He rubbed his scalp, wishing that Lionel didn't get quite this irrational when he was angry.

"You know perfectly well that they outrank us and have the Emperor's blessing to do whatever they want," Lex said, looking at Lionel calmly. "If they want to examine the labs they have the power to do so. We can't stop them. The best that you can hope for is to minimize the damage. I have no authority over them or the Labs. If you want something done about it, I'm afraid its up to you, Father."

"Damn it!" Lionel snarled, hitting the desk again. He turned and started pacing, muttering curses under his breath.

Mercy moved to stand on Lex's side of the desk, watching Lionel's every movement with narrowed eyes. Lionel's guards appeared to find her look intimidating. They backed off a step, putting on the mannerisms that said they were going to do their best to be invisible until Lex had calmed Lionel down. Lionel stopped finally, his lips compressed with anger.

"What _have_ you accomplished since your arrival here?" Lionel asked, glaring at Lex.

"A fair amount, I think," Lex said, putting on his most bland expression and boring tone of voice. "We've started a very visible program of cleaning up all the meteor impact sights with House Clark's assistance. All the meteors are being collected and put into storage away from everyone. We've also cleaned up all the mutated animals and plants that we can find. We've offered some very nice rewards for information on—"

Lionel slashed a hand at Lex, cutting him off. He came over and looked down at Lex's desk, studying the papers and files laid out there. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the top part of Bruce's drawing poking out from the folder. One of Ducard's eyes was exposed, glaring up from the page balefully. Lionel's shoulders shifted downwards and his lips thinned in a way that made Lex's stomach drop. Mercy shifted position to step closer to Lex, responding to it just as Lex did. Lex didn't make a move to stop Lionel when he reached out and picked up the folder. It only held some old articles on the Wayne family and a copy of the sketch. Clark had taken the original copy back a day ago.

"Interesting drawing," Lionel said, pulling it out of the folder. "Who did it?"

"I'm not sure," Lex lied. "Master Clark asked if I could track down who it is and who the artist was. He hadn't had any luck and well, he's quite… interesting, so I said I'd give it a shot."

"He is that," Lionel murmured, a lascivious smile curling his lips for a moment. "And what have you found about the mystery man and the artist?"

"Nothing much," Lex sighed, inwardly wincing as Lionel found the article with the photo of him standing close to Ducard. "Just one name: Ducard. He must be foreign but I've been too busy to track anything else down. As for the artist, nothing besides the drawing. Clark wasn't even sure when the drawing had been done. I believe he was hoping to have a portrait of his mother done by the same artist."

"How sweet," Lionel said, his fingers crumpling the edges of the article.

He smoothed it with one thumb, nodding very slowly as if he was thinking about something else entirely. Lionel tucked the photo and the article back into the folder, shutting it with a snap. He tapped it against his palm for a while, staring off into the distance. Lex could almost see the thoughts tumbling behind Lionel's eyes. The more seconds that ticked by the more tense he got. Mercy took on that stillness that said she was getting ready to kill, though her face was so calm and composed that she might have been asleep.

"I'm surprised at you, Lex," Lionel said finally, his voice distant and ever so faintly regretful. "I wouldn't have thought that you would do this to me. Pity."

"Do what?" Lex asked, cursing mentally. Trust his father to leap to somewhat unjustified assumptions.

"Kill him," Lionel said to his guards, stepping back and away from Lex's desk. "Make it look like an assassination."

"Dad!" Lex gasped, moving to stand up.

"Down!" Mercy snapped, shoving Lex backwards before he could get his feet under him.

His chair toppled to the ground and Lex rolled free of it just as bullets pierced the leather. He could see Lionel's feet heading towards the door and his guard's feet advancing towards his desk. Mercy kicked Lex in the hip, sending him tumbling towards the back door. Bullets tore into the floor around him and Lex scrambled to his feet, running for all he was worth. He made it about five paces when someone tackled him from behind.

"Get off!" Lex bellowed, elbowing the man as hard as he could in the face.

He felt bone crunch and heard the man shout but it didn't fully register. He had to get out of here. He had to get away. Lionel had finally decided that he was a threat so Lex had to die. He wouldn't die. He wouldn't let his father get away with his. The man clutching Lex didn't let go so Lex spun and hit him again as hard as he could. He took several blows to the face and ribs but succeeded in breaking free. He glanced at Mercy, heart pounding as the guard collapsed at his feet.

"Go!" Mercy bellowed, fighting off the other two guards. "Get the fuck out!"

Lex went.

He ran out the back door and down the back stairs, heading for the formal gardens that surrounded the mansion. He had to get away, into the woods. Father would be getting other guards to track him, coming up with some sort of explanation for Lex's disappearance. He needed to get to safety and the only safety that Lex could think of was the Kent farm and the Underground Railroad that Lex was convinced ran through their farm.

A bullet tore through Lex's shoulder before he heard the shot. Lex stumbled but didn't fall, continuing to run for the edge of the garden. More shots rang out but none of them hit him. He darted through ornamental shrubs and cursed under his breath as he found the wall around the gardens. It was topped by a laser array that would kill anyone trying to climb the wall. Lex stopped, panting and pressing a palm into his bloody shoulder. Two seconds of furious thought had him running along the wall, looking for the master box several dozen yards away.

"Come on," Lex whispered, tearing it open and biting his lip. "Give me a chance here!"

He tapped in his control codes and held his breath, waiting for what felt like an eternity but which actually was only a few milliseconds. The lasers shut off. Lex bit down on the urge to cheer and ran at the wall, jumping to catch the top edge. It was torture with his wounded shoulder but he made it up and over, dropping to the far side of the wall just as it switched back on.

"Up," Lex panted, dragging himself to his feet. "Come on, go!"

Lex put his hand over his wounded shoulder again, starting to move. He didn't have much time. He had to get away before his father could catch him and kill him. Lex stumbled into a run, heading into the woods around the mansion. All he had to do was to get from the mansion to the Kent farm without anyone seeing him. How hard could that be?

Almost two full days of hide and seek in the woods and fields between the mansion and the Kent farm later Lex was cursing his earlier optimism. He didn't think he'd ever make it there. He was within a few hundred yards of the fence line but he couldn't figure out a way to get across the road without being detected. Lex sighed, wishing he could rest.

His shoulder was throbbing though the wound was long since closed. He suspected that the bone had been broken which would take at least several more days to heal. His ankle had been sprained during a tumble down a surprise gully in one field, slowing him down. He was pretty sure that his ribs were at least cracked. He hadn't eaten since the night before the attack and he was filthy from head to toe. None of his physical symptoms mattered though.

Clark and Bruce were in the yard, talking to each other. They were too far away for Lex to hear them but the way they held their bodies looked worried to Lex. He was so damned close and he might as well have been on the moon. He didn't have a way to get past the monitors that the Emperor had ordered be installed into all roads and building entrances. His chip would be picked up and he'd be caught in an instant. The only reason that he hadn't been caught so far was that he'd gone cross-country, avoiding everything related to civilization.

"There has to be a way," Lex whispered, staring at the yellow farmhouse that hopefully would be his personal salvation.

Clark started and turned to stare in Lex's direction. Lex froze, staring back at him. Clark never had clarified exactly what powers he had, just that he had several. Maybe his hearing…?

"I need your help," Lex whispered, praying that he was right about Clark's hearing. "Please Clark."

Clark straightened up, visibly straightening his shoulders and spine so that he seemed inches taller. Bruce cocked his head, studying Clark. Clark turned back to Bruce, relaxing just a little bit as he made a gesture that seemed casual. Bruce nodded and they headed for the barn together, Clark's hand descending to Bruce's rear end to squeeze firmly. Even from that distance Lex could see the smirk on Bruce's face. Lex bit back curses. Apparently he wasn't right about what he'd just seen.

He started looking around for any way across the road, wondering if he could squeeze through the drainage pipe that allowed the little stream to ramble to the other field. Lex knew he couldn't make it but he was desperate enough to try and then drown when he got stuck. He knew that the searchers were getting closer. He couldn't afford to wait until dark to get there and he didn't dare linger long for fear of bringing Lionel down on the Kent family. He started as there was a whoosh of air right next to him.

"Where have you been?" Clark whispered, appearing out of nowhere. He clamped a hand over Lex's mouth to keep Lex from crying out. "We've been worried sick about you. No talking. It'll be all right, just relax. I've got you."

Lex nodded, feeling like he was vibrating from pure relief. He hadn't been wrong. Clark had heard him. They'd just flirted to throw people off the track. Clark wrapped something around Lex's arm, encasing his upper arm where the sub-dermal transmitter had been implanted. Lex stared at Clark. Clark grinned back, shrugging casually.

"How else can you get past the scanners?" Clark said quietly, wagging his eyebrows.

"But what about you?" Lex asked, worried about him.

"I don't have one," Clark said, smiling wryly. "I'll explain once we're safe. Don't worry. It'll be okay now, I promise."

He scooped Lex up as though he weighed nothing, apparently not caring that his clothes got muddy. Clark held Lex close and then suddenly they were moving. It was so fast that Lex's eyes blacked out from the acceleration. He could barely breath for the instant that they were moving but it was over as quickly as it began and Clark was setting Lex down. Lex blinked hard but his eyes didn't cooperate and clear.

"Moved too fast," Bruce growled, his hand supporting Lex so that he didn't fall.

"I know," Clark said, fretting. "I had to. The searchers are getting closer and we have to get him to safety _now_."

"Right," Bruce said.

They helped Lex down some stairs, into a place that echoed like a cavern. He had smelled hay before the stairs but now all he smelled was dirt, food and sweat. He could hear people talking, their voices echoing strangely as if they were coming from a distance. Lex kept blinking, his eyesight slowly returning. By the time Clark and Bruce helped him sit down his eyes were mostly back to normal, though everything was still a touch blurry. He looked around, mouth dropping open as he realized where they'd taken him.

"You really are part of the Underground Railroad," Lex breathed.

"Yeah," Clark said, smiling shyly. "Mom and Dad were doing it for years before they adopted me."

They'd taken him underground to some sort of cavern. It looked partially man-made. He could see graffiti or cave paintings in places, half hidden in the darkness that wasn't illuminated by the lights strung around the room. There were wooden and iron struts supporting the roof and half a dozen tunnels leading off into the distance. There were shelves of supplies and tables to eat on, and half a dozen Houseless people watching them respectfully from a distance.

"You'll be safe here," Clark said, rubbing Lex's shoulder. "The cuff on your arm blocks the signals from the chip. We've set everything up down here so that people can get away."

"I don't need to get away," Lex snapped, glaring at Clark and Bruce. "I need to stop my father."

"He's… put out a story that you went insane and attacked him," Bruce said reluctantly. "There's a huge reward to find you and bring you in. Mercy's been sold to a new Master in House O'Neill and your father's pulled everything sensitive out of the labs during the search for you. If you go back now you'll end up in an asylum, Lex."

"You don't understand," Lex said, glaring at Bruce. "Lionel's working with your mystery man, Henri Ducard. I found an article showing the two of them together at a party at House Wayne after you disappeared. My father is part of the whole conspiracy to destroy you, Bruce. Whatever Ducard is up to, my father's a part of it. The weapons must be for him. We have to stop him!"

+++++

Bruce stiffened at Lex's fierce, desperate words. He'd wondered who else could be involved with his disappearance and they'd all wondered about what Lionel was up to, but to hear that he might have had a hand in Bruce's sale as a slave was almost like a slap in the face. He thought about it as Master Clark tried to calm Lex down.

"No," Bruce said after a moment of listening to Master Clark's fussing and Lex's complaints. "Your father may have joined the conspiracy later but he had nothing to gain and everything to lose from my family being eliminated. He was hoping to marry us off, after all."

"Granted," Lex said, wincing and rubbing his shoulder after Master Clark patted it. "That's not what concerns me, Bruce. When he came to visit me House O'Neill was coming to raid the labs. Father probably got everything out during the chaos of my escape and I'm sure that he managed to put House O'Neill off with his story about my going insane, but that doesn't change the fact that those weapons still exist _somewhere_. They're a threat that cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. If Father is working with the people who destroyed House Wayne then the threat is far larger than I thought it was."

"Ouch," Master Clark breathed, wincing. "That can't be good."

Bruce nodded agreement, stiff-arming Lex to keep him from charging back out into the hallways and startling people. As always, Lex was about to go off half-cocked. Bruce's lips curled in a tiny smile. He'd dealt with Lex's impulsive actions long before Master Clark's. He was well practiced slowing them both down long enough for them to think. He put his hand on Lex's uninjured shoulder, pressing until Lex stepped back and frowned at him.

"First we need to get your injuries treated," Bruce said, smiling at his questioning glare. "I know, you heal but you're filthy, hungry and exhausted. You can't be seen in public, Lex. We'll set up a false identity for you, find a wig that looks good on you and figure something out. The second thing that we need to do is deal with House O'Neill. They've been asking entirely too many questions since you disappeared. We need to find out what they know and what they want. And third, we need to figure out where you can go that's safe while we figure out how to stop Lionel and Ducard."

"I can talk to Teal'c," Master Clark offered, urging Lex to sit down. "He's Dominus O'Neill's personal bodyguard so I know the message will get to him. And as for a place to go, well, we could try and hit two birds with one stone. Grandfather has a small branch of the House in Gotham. We could go check on that and say that Lex is a new personal assistant or something."

Bruce started to say no automatically but Lex nodded slowly, his eyes intent as he thought about it. Bruce sighed, actually considering it only because both of them thought it was a good idea. He hadn't been to Gotham since his sale. He knew that he looked a lot like his father but people tended to look right past slaves. It wasn't terribly likely that anyone would recognize him. Once they had Lex cleaned up and in a wig it was highly unlikely that anyone would recognize him if he had a slave collar and cuffs.

It still made Bruce's stomach churn. He didn't know enough yet. He didn't know who his real enemy was. He didn't know what his enemy was after, though it was fairly obvious it had to have something to do with overthrowing the Emperor. They might be walking right into the lion's den. But it was fairly obvious that he'd have to return to Gotham eventually and Bruce doubted that he'd ever feel that he had enough information. He didn't think that he could possibly comprehend the reasoning behind his family's destruction. Eventually he nodded at Master Clark and Lex.

"I don't like it but I suppose that it will have to do," Bruce grumbled. "I still think that we need more allies before I try to regain my position."

"Of course and we will get them eventually," Master Clark said, nodding. "This is just a way to hide for a little bit while we get that info. Bruce, you help Lex. We've got some spare clothes that you can wear once you're cleaned up. I'm going back topside and dealing with House O'Neill."

"Be careful," Lex said, glaring at Master Clark.

"I will be," Master Clark promised. "No fighting, you two. Fucking is okay but no fighting."

Bruce spluttered as Lex went flamingly red. Master Clark laughed, grinning impishly at both of them. He gave Lex a gentle kiss and Bruce a far firmer one, disappearing from Lex's room. Bruce sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. It felt hot, as did Bruce's cheeks. Lex chuckled, nodding towards the door.

"He's always like that, isn't he?" Lex asked.

"Almost always," Bruce said, smiling. "He's definitely a peace-maker. Come on. You really do need to get cleaned up."

"Where did these tunnels come from?" Lex asked as he levered up from the bed.

"One of the neighbors is meteor affected," Bruce explained, catching Lex's elbow when he wavered and almost fell. "He's able to create and collapse tunnels. He's been helping us by creating tunnels and linking them into the natural caves in the area. When a tunnel is discovered he's able to block it off so that no one is captured and the rest of the system remains secure."

"That's helpful," Lex said, raising an eyebrow.

"Quite," Bruce said, helping Lex to the bathing area that they'd set up.

It was empty at the moment. Most of the people in the Underground were getting food or resting currently. Bruce winced at the bruises and injuries that were revealed as Lex stripped. He made sure that Lex's implant remained covered while he got clean. Until it was removed or reprogrammed it wasn't safe for him to remove the armband. He helped Lex get clean and then bandaged his ribs and ankle. Lex grumbled about the work clothes that Bruce gave him to wear, but he put them on, making a face at the rough fabric. Bruce took Lex's clothes to the garbage bin. They'd be burned so that they couldn't be traced. Lex sighed at seeing them thrown away, rubbing his denim-covered thighs. Bruce chuckled, helping Lex up.

"I can walk," Lex said, spearing Bruce with a sidelong glare.

"I know," Bruce said, his lips twitching.

"What?"

"Just remembering school," Bruce said, amused.

Lex groaned, rolling his eyes. They headed to the dining area, passing several Houseless and mutants who had decided to try their luck somewhere else. They all recognized Bruce and Lex but none of them said anything. They had to know that Lex had been targeted for destruction—Master Clark and Mistress Martha had made sure that everyone in the area knew to watch for Lex as soon as the story of his 'insanity' went out. Bruce mostly saw looks of sympathy as the others passed by. It was good to know that they were on Lex's side.

"Something smells good," Lex commented as they entered the dining area.

"Mistress Martha always makes something for the people down here," Bruce said, nodding. "Today it was a series of pies and some stew. There might be some left."

"Anything sounds good right now," Lex said, rubbing his stomach. "All I've had for two days was some old fallen apples while running. No, it was three days since I didn't eat much the day before Father's attack. Time flies."

"Sit down and I'll bring you something," Bruce said, not letting Lex's pride overwhelm his common sense.

Lex grumbled about it but he sat at one of the rough picnic tables with a sigh of relief. Bruce found enough stew, cornbread and potato salad to fill Lex's stomach. He also found a lone piece of apple pie, which was something of a wonder given how good Mistress Martha's pies were. Lex ate it all ravenously, though by the time he finished the pie he was obviously having a hard time keeping his eyes open. His eyes kept shutting and his head kept dropping towards his chest. Bruce nodded, taking Lex's plates from him.

"Back to bed for you," Bruce said, taking Lex's plates to the sink and then helping him up.

"This is like school," Lex muttered as they walked back to the bedroom he'd been given. "Cleaning me up, bandaging my wounds and then tucking me into bed; it's just like old times."

"I missed that while I was gone," Bruce admitted as he took Lex's borrowed boots off.

"You have got to be kidding," Lex drawled, rolling his eyes. "I certainly didn't miss getting beaten up."

He let Bruce tuck him in, an amused look in his tired eyes. Bruce chuckled, sitting on the edge of Lex's bed. Lex reached out and took Bruce's hand, squeezing it gently. Lex had been picked on endlessly at school. His father's rank was so low that he was always at the bottom of the pecking order. Add that to his baldness and intelligence there had been entirely too much opportunity for others to bully him. It had always annoyed Bruce and he'd done what he could to protect Lex.

"Get some sleep, Lex," Bruce said. "You're safe now and we won't let you get hurt again."

Lex nodded, yawning and squirming a little to get more comfortable in the little bed. He fell asleep quickly. Bruce stayed there, watching Lex sleep even after he turned off the lights. He should go and help Master Clark but Bruce didn't budge. He stayed and when Lex started whimpering in a nightmare Bruce rubbed his shoulder, comforting him so that he settled into a deeper sleep.

+++++

It wasn't hard to find Teal'c. He'd been directing the efforts to ensure the House O'Neill forces while they went through the labs outside of town. They had been taking files and experiments out of the labs for the last twenty-four hours. Teal'c was in the center of town supervising the efforts to ferry everything back to House O'Neill for study. Clark hesitated when he found Teal'c though. His face was grim, far grimmer than Clark had expected. Clark swallowed hard as he realized what it had to be.

"Teal'c," Clark said, approaching from an angle to ensure that Teal'c saw him coming. He really didn't want to surprise him, not when he was obviously in a mood.

"Master Clark," Teal'c said, sorrow and anger warring in his eyes.

"Can I talk to you for a minute? If you're not too busy right now?" Clark asked.

Teal'c looked at the men carrying boxes of files to the flyers and nodded. He gestured for one of the others to take charge, following Clark off to the side. Clark gestured discreetly for the other Smallville people to move away, leaving them alone. They did it, looking back at Clark and Teal'c a little nervously.

"Is there a problem, Master Clark?" Teal'c asked.

"Sort of," Clark said sighing. "I'd assume that you've found out what happened to the missing Houseless people?"

"Yes," Teal'c said, his expression going black with rage. "I am sorry, Master Clark. They appear to have been killed and buried in mass graves outside of the labs."

"I thought so," Clark admitted, his heart hearting for all the people they'd lost. "It's… well, it's been kind of obvious for quite a while that anyone taken wasn't coming back. Do you have any idea why they were taken?"

"Not at this time," Teal'c said, his face going perfectly blank.

Clark nodded, making sure that no one could overhear them in the area. They could have someone listening in on them from a distance with the proper technology but there wasn't anything that Clark could do about that. He could only be careful about how he phrased things.

"Um, I think… that I might have an idea about it," Clark said, letting his nervousness show. "A few months ago one person escaped from the labs. She was badly burned, nearly dead. She made it to the farm but died shortly after she got there. She kept babbling about 'them'. 'They' were going to attack 'him', 'they' were going to kill 'him'. She never said who they were or who he was but given the energy flashes that have been seen in the area and the way House Luthor has been acting lately, it seems likely that—"

"Stop," Teal'c said, flashing a hand up and cutting Clark off.

He looked around them and then triggered something on his belt. A shimmering force field enveloped the two of them. Clark gasped, staring at it with awe. He'd heard that House O'Neill had incredibly advanced technology that went far beyond what was available to the rest of the Houses but this was the first time he'd seen anything other than advanced weapons like Teal'c's blaster staff. Teal'c nodded once the force field solidified.

"It will not last long, Master Clark," Teal'c said, studying him intently. "Continue."

"Wow," Clark breathed, shivering. "Um, it seems really likely to me and Mom and my Grandfather that House Luthor is trying to develop weapons that will allow them to overthrow the Emperor. There seems to be a connection between Dominus Lionel and this man," he passed a copy of Bruce's drawing over to Teal'c, "but we don't know who he is. They were apparently spotted together at least once. I can't tell you where I got that information or sketch, not if I'm to protect my people, but I really think that this threat needs to be taken seriously."

"It shall be," Teal'c growled, glaring at the drawing. "This man is known to House O'Neill. Thank you for your information, Master Clark."

"You're welcome," Clark said. "I've talked to my parents and my grandfather. They agree that things are little crazy here right now and the conflicts between my authority, House Luthor and House O'Neill's authority is causing trouble. Grandfather asked me to check out a branch of the House in Gotham. It should only be for a week or two but if you need anything while we're gone, please don't hesitate to contact me or my mother. We may be allied with House Luthor but only because he did a hostile takeover. We're loyal to the Emperor and would very much prefer to be free of House Luthor someday."

"I will pass that on to Dominus O'Neill, Master Clark," Teal'c said, nodding and smiling very slightly. "If we have any questions we will contact you. I should get back to work."

"Thank you," Clark said, his eyes wide as Teal'c collapsed the force field. "That was so incredible! Wow!"

Teal'c chuckled, patting Clark on the shoulder. Clark blushed and ducked his head, a little embarrassed but not too much. Clark watched as Teal'c headed back to his work. Hopefully he hadn't said too much. Hopefully House O'Neill wouldn't realize that it was Bruce who'd given them the sketch. Hopefully they'd assume that it was Lex. House O'Neill's forces had been remarkably uncooperative in the search for Lex. Clark shook his head and went back home. There were too many things to do for him to stay here fussing. What would happen, would happen and they'd deal with it. What else could they do, after all?

+++++

"Okay, I think that's pretty much everything," Clark said as he stacked the last clothes on the bed for Bruce to fold.

It was a small mountain of clothes, with everything from Clark and Bruce's work clothes on up to their most formal clothing. Bruce nodded calmly as he started folding and packing the outfits into the luggage that Mom had gotten from the attic. There were several slave outfits of varying levels of formality for Lex. It was easy to tell which belonged to who because Lex was much more slender than Bruce was. Clark had decided that saying Lex was another personal slave was easiest, which meant dressing him in the same black that Bruce always wore.

"For a short visit that's a lot of clothes," Lex said, his lips twitching with amusement.

"Well, we might have to visit other Houses and I don't really know what to expect and there's three of us so…" Clark said, blushing as Lex burst into a laugh.

"That's less than I would have brought if it were me," Lex admitted with a teasing grin once Clark trailed off. "Don't fuss. It'll be fine."

"Give me a few minutes to teach 'Alex' here how to fold laundry and pack and we'll be right down, Master," Bruce said, giving Lex a hairy eyeball.

Clark nodded, grinning at Lex's wince. They'd found a nice auburn wig for Lex to wear and given him colored contacts that changed his eyes to an unremarkable hazel. The new slave collar and cuffs he wore were obviously chafing him. Having to refer to everyone else as 'Master' or 'Mistress' was clearly going to be a tremendous challenge to his ego. Clark could see that he wasn't used to giving anyone that much rank over him. He was halfway convinced that he was going to have to tell people that he'd gotten 'Alex' because he'd gotten disillusioned with marriage and wanted another boy to play with. He was sure that 'Alex's' resemblance to Lex Luthor would help with that illusion. A sex slave would of course have more latitude in how he spoke to his Master, too.

"Clark!" Mom called urgently from downstairs. "House O'Neill just flew up!"

"What?" Clark gasped, looking out the window in time to see the flyer land. "Oh no. That's Jack O'Neill's personal car!"

"Go," Bruce said, shoving Clark at the door and Lex away from the window. "You're the only one who can deal with him. Go!"

Clark went, wondering what the heck they could have done to get Dominus O'Neill out to Smallville. Mom patted his arm as he went by, her expression worried. She went straight to the kitchen getting lemonade and cookies from the fridge. Clark headed outside, trying not to show just how nervous he was at the surprise visit. Dominus Jack's personal slave was opening his door for him. He was a rather mousy man with brown hair, glasses and incredibly intelligent eyes. Teal'c was nowhere to be seen so Clark assumed the driver of Jack's flyer was also a bodyguard, not that Clark could see the person through the tinted windows.

"Dominus O'Neill," Clark said, automatically going to one knee in respect. "Um, thank you for your visit. Is there… something we can do for you?"

"Oh stand up, please," Dominus Jack said, waving for Clark to rise with an incredibly uncomfortable expression on his face. "That's not necessary. Where's your boy?"

"Oh, he's packing," Clark said, instantly worried that Bruce had been discovered. "We're heading to Gotham in about an hour or so. I can have him come down if you want."

"Oh, right," Dominus Jack said, nodding somewhat absently. "No, that's fine. Looking forward to visiting Gotham?"

Jack started walking towards the barn, strolling like they were in a park having a normal conversation. Clark looked at his slave who made shooing gestures that Clark should follow him. Clark blinked and hurried to catch up, wondering what the heck was going on.

"I suppose so, Dominus," Clark said, watching his words carefully. "I haven't been there since I was confirmed and my grandfather thinks it would be good for them to meet me officially. You know, as the future Dominus and all instead of just as his grandson."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Dominus Jack said, nodding. "Nice farm. Your parents do a good job taking care of it."

"Thank you Dominus," Clark said, proud that he'd approved even as his head spun a little at the new direction the conversation seemed to be taking.

"Not an easy thing to do, farming," Dominus Jack said, smiling nostalgically as if he'd done it at some point which Clark didn't think was possible. He'd disappeared from the public eye for several long periods but everyone assumed it was because he was dealing with secret projects for the Emperor. "Lots of hard work and heart ache sometimes."

"I think it's worth it when you see the produce and healthy animals," Clark offered hesitantly. "And you're feeding people, filling their bellies. It's important work even if it doesn't get much respect these days."

"Very true," Dominus Jack said.

His expression was so warmly approving that Clark started to wonder if they were having some sort of deeply coded secret conversation that he hadn't been told about. They walked past the barn, heading to one of the fence lines. Clark glanced behind them, starting when he realized that Dominus Jack's personal slave had stayed behind by the flyer. The driver was a female who felt familiar. There was something about the way she stood next to Dominus Jack's slave that pinged something in his memory but Clark didn't take the time to really look at her. Dominus Jack leaned against the rail, looking out over the field as if he was seeing the secrets of the universe instead of grass and cows.

"There aren't many problems with the Houseless in this area," Dominus Jack said, changing the subject yet again.

"Well, most of them appear to have been killed in the labs," Clark said as mournfully as he could when his heart was trying to pound it's way out of his chest. Now it was the Underground Railroad? "Dominus Luthor had an edict that the Houseless weren't allowed to work for anyone for more than one week. I think it was his way of making them easier to round up."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Dominus Jack said, making a sour face. He leaned over conspiratorially. "Don't tell anyone I said this but he's kind of an ass."

"Don't tell anyone _I_ said this but he gives me the creeps," Clark said, grinning at Dominus Jack's comment and then shuddering. "He keeps hitting on me and licking his lips like I'm something yummy to eat."

"…Ew." Dominus Jack said, squirming a little like he'd just put his fingers in something slimy.

"Exactly," Clark sighed, rolling his eyes.

"And yet you were flirting with his son," Dominus Jack said, studying Clark.

"Lex is nothing like his father!" Clark objected before he could hold the response back. "He's smart and funny and cute and nice and he doesn't like his father at all!"

"Hmm, that explains a lot," Dominus Jack said, nodding as if Clark had just confirmed something important.

Clark started, staring at Dominus Jack while his heart tried to climb out his throat. This was why he tried not to have these conversations without Bruce around. Bruce always did a great job keeping Clark from overreacting. Dominus Jack chuckled, reaching out to pat Clark's shoulder right where the tracker should be but wasn't. It didn't feel like a casual spot for him to touch, which made Clark's worry spiral even higher.

"Don't worry," Dominus Jack said, grinning at him. "Teal'c's been talking about how cute the two of you are together. Well, he didn't actually say 'cute'. It was more like 'they are quite appropriate to each other and may become an appropriate bonding in time'."

Clark spluttered and laughed at the way Dominus Jack imitated Teal'c's solemn tone of voice and serious expression. Dominus Jack grinned at him, winking before turning back to look out over the field.

"He's not a bad kid," Dominus Jack said as calmly as if this was just a normal conversation about nothing at all. "Little mouthy and brash but he'll steady out in a few years."

"If he isn't dead or locked in an asylum by his father," Clark said, sighing as he leaned on the fence too.

"Oh, I don't think Lex'll get caught," Dominus Jack said, smirking as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Clark. "He's too smart not to have some good allies, places to go, ways to hide."

"I certainly hope so," Clark said. He kind of wondered if Dominus Jack was deliberately trying to give him a heart attack. It felt like it. "I really like him a lot. I miss him."

Dominus Jack nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. He stood and stared at the field for a little while. Clark let the silence stretch. He had no intention of saying anything. This really did seem to be one of those conversations that had all sorts of secret layers to it that Clark would have to recite back to Bruce and Mom so that they could dissect all the coded meanings for him. He never had been any good at figuring out all the layered meanings people could sneak into conversations.

"For a place with so many mutant problems it seems pretty normal here," Dominus Jack said after about five minutes of silent cow pasture appreciation.

"It is mostly normal here," Clark said, his heart rate picking up again immediately. "The meteor rocks change things but its only occasional and we've mostly cleaned those up. Hopefully fairly soon we'll have them all removed and there won't be any more issues."

"Good, good," Dominus Jack said, straightening up. He patted the top fence rail absently as if he was trying to remember something. "So what's your boy's name again?"

"Bruce," Clark said. "I've taken a second slave to help Bruce out. He's in training currently but he looks pretty promising."

Clark's cheeks went flaming red at Dominus Jack's sly look. Dominus Jack chuckled, rubbing his chin as he turned back towards the house and barn. Clark followed him, his stomach fluttering along with his pounding heart.

"So what's your new boys name?" Dominus Jack asked, smirking at Clark.

"It was Clifford," Clark said, grateful for Bruce's sneakiness in setting up Lex's new ID, "but he asked if he could have a new name since he hated his old one. I named him Alex."

"Really?" Dominus Jack asked, laughing and grinning openly at Clark.

"Yeah…" Clark said, blushing harder and ducking his head.

"You _really_ have it bad," Dominus Jack laughed, patting Clark's arm right over the non-existent tracker's location.

"I do not," Clark protested in his best 'I've been caught but I'm not repentant' voice.

Dominus Jack laughed harder, shaking his head as he started strolling back to the flyer. Mom was by the car offering Dominus Jack's slave and driver lemonade and cookies. Bruce and Lex stood on the front porch at attention. Clark thought that Bruce looked as if he was waiting for Clark to give the signal and then he'd attack to keep Clark safe. Lex had a hesitant, worried expression, which was appropriate for a new slave who was just figuring out his place in the household.

"It's probably a good idea for you to get out of town for a while," Dominus Jack said as they made their slow way back to the flyer. "I think things are going to get worse here before they get better. Lionel's being difficult about almost everything."

"He's good at that," Clark sighed. "I never said this but I still don't know how someone like him was elected Dominus of any house, no matter how small."

"Boils down to one very simple thing," Dominus Jack said while rubbing his fingers together as if rubbing two coins together.

"Really?" Clark asked, surprised that he'd be that blunt.

"Really," Dominus Jack said, shrugging. "You'd be surprised how many things boil down to that in life, especially at the higher levels of society."

Clark stopped, looking out over the farm. He hated the thought that his life was going to be nonstop politics and intrigue in the future. He liked the simplicity of farm life, the quiet life that they had here in Smallville. Sure, he could play the Dominus games but he really didn't like it.

"I'd rather be a farmer like my dad," Clark said quietly. "I'd rather just stay here on the farm and be a nobody than have to deal with that sort of thing. Not that I get to choose, of course."

"We all have things that we'd rather be doing, Clark," Dominus Jack said gently. He put his hand on Clark's shoulder, this time nowhere near the tracker that Clark should have had in his arm but didn't. "The key is not to lose those things as you grow older and gain more experience. Never forget where you come from and who you are."

"I don't think I could forget," Clark said, smiling at his mother and the yellow farmhouse. "This is my home. No matter what happens in my life, this will always be my home."

Something shifted in Dominus Jack's eyes, as if he'd just been surprised for the first time in their odd little conversation. Clark had no idea what could have surprised him about that statement so he did his best not to show that he'd seen the expression flit over the Dominus' face. Dominus Jack nodded slowly, patting Clark's shoulder once more before letting him go.

"Is that for us?" Dominus Jack asked Mom as they got back to the flyer.

"If you'd like some, certainly," Mom said, smiling cheerfully at Dominus Jack. "Home made lemonade and chocolate chip cookies."

"Oh," Dominus Jack said with delight, taking the last glass and one of the cookies. "Thank you! I'm afraid we have to be going. Is it okay if I have Teal'c bring the glasses back later?"

"Of course," Mom said, her eyes flicking to Clark before she smiled twice as brightly at Dominus Jack. "They're my drinks for the farm hands glasses so don't worry about it. You don't need to send them back at all if it's a bother."

"No, tha's fine," Dominus Jack said, his mouth full of chocolate chip cookie. "If y'need anythin' don' hesitate to call, Clark."

Dominus Jack nodded goodbye, taking a sip of lemonade. He smiled approvingly at the taste. His personal slave held the door for him and then climbed into the back of the flyer with him. The driver put her glass back on Mom's tray, shifting her cap and sunglasses just enough that Clark recognized her. She smiled cockily at him, nodded and quickly climbed into the driver's seat. Clark let Mom tug him back and away from the flyer, his heart pounding against his ribcage again. The flyer took off, turned and headed up into the sky.

"Come on inside, sweetie," Mom said, still tugging at his elbow. Clark followed, his legs shaking a little.

"What?" Lex asked once the door was shut. "What's wrong? What did he say? Do you know what he wanted?"

"Alicia," Clark breathed, staring at the door.

"What?" Bruce asked, grabbing Clark's elbow and making him meet his eyes.

"The driver, that was Alicia Baker," Clark said. "She was taken by House O'Neill months ago."

Bruce rocked back on his heels, staring at Clark. Mom nearly dropped the tray she'd been carrying. Lex frowned, staring at the door as if it was hiding secrets. Clark pulled out one of the chairs and sat abruptly. He had no idea what Dominus Jack had been trying to learn from this visit but he'd carefully made sure that Clark learned one thing: House O'Neill did _not_ treat the 'taken' mutants like House Luthor had. Alicia, and presumably all the other mutants who had been taken, was alive and well, with a position of responsibility in House O'Neill. Maybe the offer of help at the end of his visit wasn't just a trap.

+++++

"Welcome Master Clark."

Lex stayed firmly behind Bruce who was standing just behind Clark. The trip to Gotham had happened as quickly as possible after Dominus Jack's little visit, or more accurately as quickly as possible after Martha and Bruce had cross-examined Clark to get every word spoken, every look and every nuance out of him. Lex was more than a little awed at Clark's ability to remember conversations. He'd had no idea that Clark was _that_ observant. He'd literally remembered and been able to describe how Dominus Jack's eyes had looked, the way he held his hands and the tone of his voice for everything that had happened between them.

Martha had shown her Domina training by calling her father and getting a flyer for Clark, Bruce and Lex to use while they were in Gotham. She'd set the farm on its ear, getting them out of Smallville within minutes when it should have taken a couple more hours. Lex sighed quietly; ignoring the standard greetings and introductions Clark was going through. He should pay attention but he couldn't. He was too focused on what had happened just before they'd left. Martha had made Lex's heart hurt by hugging him goodbye as though Lex was her son, too. He hadn't had that sort of loving hug since his mother died years ago. He hadn't realize how much he missed it.

"This is my personal slave Bruce," Clark said, startling Lex out of his thoughts, "and behind him is Alex. He's um, new."

"What is his role, Master Clark?" asked the seneschal whose name Lex had missed. He studied Lex with a faint sneer and raised eyebrow. It was as though he could see that Lex had no training to be a slave at all, which of course he didn't.

"Ah, well, um, personal," Clark said, blushing so brightly as he waved his hands aimlessly that everyone in the room immediately jumped to the obvious conclusion that Lex was his new concubine.

"Of course," the seneschal said, amusement in his eyes that didn't translate to the rest of his face. "Then we will not assign either of them duties around the House unless you so specify. Shall I escort you to your quarters?"

"Yes please," Clark said, his ears starting to glow as his blush spread.

Lex raised his chin and carried the bag he'd been given as if he didn't care what they thought. He did, which made him suspect that he looked like he had a highly inappropriate for a slave chip on his shoulder. Bruce looked like he had no opinion one way or the other. Lex thought that Bruce carried himself like the conversation hadn't happened. Lex knew that was how he was supposed to be handling it. He couldn't manage it, not after so many years training to be a Dominus. He shook off his automatic worries about everyone else's opinion of him, focusing instead on their surroundings. Anything was better that chasing the thoughts through his head like a puppy chasing its tail.

Gotham was nothing like Metropolis. The House they'd arrived at was small, which was appropriate given the small House Clark presence in town. It only held a dozen or so people, including the slaves supporting the household. It was one of a dozen small buildings in the Houseless area at the center of town. They were entirely too close to the Narrows for Lex's comfort. The area was thick with criminals and beggars but the walls around House Clark were strong and very well defended. Most of the staff appeared to be combat trained and everyone they passed carried weapons of one sort or another. Lex felt almost naked because of his lack of a weapon.

They'd flown through House Wayne's territory on the way in. It still looked quite impressive, especially Wayne Manor. Lex had still been able to see the decay that had occurred since Bruce's family had been destroyed. The various buildings and factories looked liked they needed maintenance. The roads had potholes. Even the people they'd seen scurrying between buildings had looked worn down. Earl wasn't doing a good job as seneschal. At least the seneschal at House Clark seemed to be doing a good job. The House and its property were in far better shape than the ones surrounding it.

"Nice," Clark said once they arrived at their room. "Um, is the bed big enough for all three of us? I'd prefer to have all of us together."

"I believe so," the seneschal said, his lips twitching with amusement. Lex blushed as hard as Clark. "It's through here, Master Clark."

Lex started to follow but Bruce gave him a stern look and a tiny shake of the head so Lex stayed where he was. He tried not to twitch but from the look on Bruce's face he didn't succeed. A minute or so later Clark and the seneschal came out of the bedroom, both smiling politely. Clark's eyes were tight as if he was working to keep the smile in place. The seneschal's eyes were just a little bit too wide as he exited the bedroom. His eyes immediately locked onto Lex, making Lex raise his chin defiantly. Bruce's elbow brushed against Lex's arm in what had to be the most discrete elbow jab in history. Lex looked away, trying _not_ to look like a Dominus in a very poor disguise.

"I'll leave you and your slaves to settle in, Master Clark," the seneschal said, heading for the door. "Please let me know if you wish to go out. It's not safe to walk about in this neighborhood without bodyguards."

"I will," Clark said. He smiled far more naturally this time. "I'm going to have to go and visit Wayne Manor sometime in the next couple of days. If you could set that up I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course, Master Clark," the seneschal said, nodding agreement. "I'll set the necessary arrangements into motion. Dinner is in two hours. I'll send someone up to get you."

He bowed and left, shutting the door behind him. Bruce sighed and gave Lex a stern look. Lex glared at him. It wasn't as though he'd had any practice being a slave. He'd spent his whole life trying to be the perfect Dominus and getting chastised by his father every time he failed. Clark chuckled, going over to hug both of them, one arm around either of their waists.

"That went okay I guess," Clark said, his wry smile saying that it hadn't gone as well as it should have.

"I suck as a slave, don't I?" Lex sighed, glaring at Bruce's amused snort.

"You're doing a very good daytime drama version of a Dominus in hiding," Bruce said, entirely too amused. "You're doing a terrible job of being a real slave."

"Concubine," Lex growled, glaring at Clark. "Apparently I'm not a plain ordinary slave. I'm a concubine."

"Sorry," Clark said, making puppy eyes at Lex that were especially effective since he seemed to mean it. "I got flustered and just…"

"Flailed and let them come to their own highly logical conclusions Master," Bruce said, smirking as they both glared at him.

Bruce laughed quietly, more openly amused that Lex could remember seeing him since they were children together. He leaned over and kissed Clark. His hand wrapped around the back of Clark's neck, pulling him close and keeping him there. Clark moaned, his hand tightening around Lex's waist before his fingers flared out as if he was afraid of holding Lex too tightly.

"We have two hours," Bruce said, his voice husky. "They're going to expect that you're busy with your new concubine you know."

"Bruce…" Clark moaned. His voice shook with arousal.

"You are enjoying that entirely too much," Lex pretended to complain. His tunic was lifted so far by his erection that Lex was pretty sure his ass was showing. He didn't want Bruce to think he had that much control over him even though it was rather obvious that he did.

"As if you don't want another crack at him." Bruce smirked and raised an eyebrow at Lex's groin.

"Who says that I don't want another crack at you?" Lex asked, raising his chin defiantly.

"Bedroom?" Clark begged, tugging both of them towards the bedroom. "Quit trying to prove you're more dominant than each other and get in the bedroom."

Lex spluttered, trying to dig his heels in. It didn't do any good. Clark was incredibly strong, far stronger than Lex had suspected. Lex suspected that he could have literally picked both of them up and carried them in. Bruce chuckled again, not resisting at all. He shrugged at Lex, as if this was something to expect with Clark. Lex gave in, letting Clark push him down on the bed. He was gentle, treating Lex as if he was made of glass. Bruce pulled off his tunic and climbed onto the bed on one side of Lex. Clark did the super-speed thing, stripping faster than Lex could see. Lex shivered. He quickly stripped his tunic off, groaning loudly as Clark lay down on the other side from Bruce.

"How did I get to be the middle?" Lex asked, wondering if he should be upset about it or delighted. He decided to be delighted once Clark started kissing his neck.

"You're the one who got shot and hunted across the countryside," Bruce said, nuzzling the other side of Lex's neck. "And you're the concubine. They'll expect you to be in the middle."

"Oh fuck," Lex gasped.

Clark's hand wrapped around his cock. He was gentle despite his hand's size. Bruce's hand descended a little further to caress Lex's balls. He was much firmer, his touch just on the verge of painful. Lex whimpered, trying to suppress the sound because Luthors most certainly do not whimper, no matter how aroused they were.

Bruce was dominating, every touch firm enough that there was a faint edge of pain to his contact. Clark was gentle, almost teasing Lex with how light his caresses were. Lex kissed them in turn and moaned at their ministrations. Bruce found lube somewhere. He lifted one of Lex's legs and slowly slid a finger inside, chuckling at the way Clark and Lex groaned in unison.

"Suck him," Bruce ordered. He was very much the Dominus in bed.

"Want to," Clark breathed. He looked hopefully into Lex's eyes for permission.

"Yes!" Lex growled, shoving Clark down towards his cock.

Clark laughed, kissing Lex's stomach along the way. Lex gasped and bit his lip once Clark's mouth engulfed him. Between Clark's talented mouth and Bruce's fingers fucking him he was whimpering nonstop and to hell with what a Luthor should or should not do. Bruce was just a little too forceful opening Lex up. Lex didn't tell him to ease up. He didn't want him to. Bruce's near brutality was part of who he was, part of the edge that made him Bruce, the lost Wayne. Clark's gentleness was part and parcel of who he was as well.

"More," Lex begged, tugging at Bruce's arm and Clark's hair. "Damn it, more!"

"Such an eager little concubine," Bruce laughed into Lex's ear as his fingers brushed a spot inside of Lex that set off explosions inside of him. "I like it."

"Bruce," Clark laughed breathlessly. "He's not really a concubine."

"Fuck me like I am," Lex panted. "Gods, fuck me like I'm a whore!"

Clark and Bruce groaned. Bruce's teeth latched onto Lex's neck, biting hard enough that he shouted. Clark held Lex's leg for him, letting Bruce push into his ass. Bruce rolled them so that Lex was lying on top of Clark, their cocks rubbing together. He pounded into Lex, taking him hard and fast. Clark kissed and caressed Lex, as gentle as Bruce was brutal.

"Yes!" Lex shouted, coming so hard that he saw stars.

Bruce didn't slow down. He kept fucking Lex. His fingers were clamped around Lex's hips so tightly that Lex knew he'd have vivid bruises once this was over. Clark gasped as they slid against each other more easily. He whimpered and started thrusting against Lex's stomach, his cock sliding against Lex, stirring him back to full hardness incredibly quickly.

"That's it," Bruce growled. "That's what I want. Fuck him, Clark. Take your new toy and bathe him in your come. Make him _feel_ belonging to you!"

"Bruce!" Lex gasped, clamping down on his cock.

He'd never heard Bruce leave the 'Master' off of Clark's name before. Somehow it made this twice as dirty, twice as exciting. Bruce shouted at the sudden tightness. Clark keened, bowing and thrusting up against Lex. Wetness bloomed between them. Bruce slammed into Lex, filling him up. Lex shouted so hard that his throat felt raw, coming a second time. They held for an impossibly long moment and then collapsed together on the bed.

"Oh fuck," Lex panted. His voice came out husky from the rawness of his throat.

"So good," Clark moaned, laughing a little shakily.

"That was a highly successful experiment," Bruce said as he pulled out and collapsed on the bed next to them.

"Experiment?" Lex asked, flopping his head around to look at Bruce. His expression was unutterably smug.

"Mmm-hmm," Bruce said. He grinned, caressing Lex's cheek and than Clark's lips. "Master Clark thought a threesome might work out. I wasn't quite so sure. I thought an experiment to test the success of the arrangement might be in order."

"Told you so," Clark said, grinning at both of them. "Best of both worlds."

Lex smiled, sliding off of Clark's chest (almost literally given how wet they were) and settling between the two of them. It really was the best of both worlds as far as he was concerned. He got both of his loves, his original one and his new one. He supposed that for Clark it was getting to top and to bottom. He wasn't sure how it worked for Bruce, at least until Bruce started petting and nuzzling each of the marks he'd left on Lex's body. He laughed breathlessly. Bruce got to be as brutal as he wanted with Clark with no worries of hurting him _and_ to see the effects of his actions on Lex's body.

"I think we need to test it a few dozen more times," Lex said, smirking at them.

"Right now?" Clark and Bruce asked in surprised unison.

"What?" Lex asked in his best innocent surprise voice. "You're not ready yet? Really. I would have thought that you'd have better reaction times than this."

"Going to spank this ass before I fuck it again," Bruce growl-laughed into Lex's ear.

"Hey, it's my turn to take him," Clark protested. "You get to take me while I take him."

"That works," Bruce said slowly. He nodded approval. "We can certainly do that."

"And when do I get to top?" Lex asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Next year," Bruce said, mischief in his eyes. "On our anniversary. Then you might get to take Clark's ass. Possibly. Or more likely his mouth. Because his ass is mine. I don't share."

Lex looked at Clark who was laughing quietly while blushing so brightly he nearly glowed. Lex huffed, sitting up to glare at them both. Bruce raised up on his elbow to cock his head at Lex. Clark lay there looking like a debauched Greek god.

"Since when did I become the woman in this relationship?" Lex demanded.

He let them pull him back down into the embrace, determined to make them earn his submission this time around. His dad might have a point about Luthors always topping if this is what bottoming got you. Of course, if Clark and Bruce was what bottoming got him, Lex thought he might be quite content to bottom from now until the end of time.

+++++

Lex sighed as he wandered through the house. He was used to being busy but now that he was officially Clark's concubine he had quite literally nothing to do but wait for Clark and Bruce to get horny. As appealing as that was as a fantasy it was incredibly boring in real life. Clark was dealing with the contacts needed for getting into Wayne Manor to meet Earle. Bruce was busy making sure that everything was in order around the House while discretely checking on the Houseless that they had sent to Gotham. There was little likelihood that he'd be 'needed' anytime in the next several hours at best so Lex went wandering.

"What are you doing out here?" one of the guards asked after Lex made his way out to the walls.

"Being bored," Lex said with a shrug. "They're both busy and I have nothing to do. I'm used to working, not sitting around."

"Sounds like a great job to me," the guard said with a lascivious grin.

"Sure," Lex said with an answering grin, "for maybe an hour or two. All day? Boring! Besides, I'm probably not going to be with them terribly long. They'll find that Luthor guy eventually and I'll be out on my butt. I'm not going to get used to it if I can help it."

The guard looked at him strangely. Lex looked over the wall at the street outside rather than explaining. Let him ask if he didn't know. Lex wasn't going to explain it randomly. It wasn't the sort of thing that he would explain if he truly were a concubine. It was kind of frightening looking at the street. It had looked dangerous outside when they drove in but now, looking down at the people and trash drifting by, it was obvious that they were much closer to the Narrows than Lex had thought. While Lex leaned against the wall the guard looked around and then copied Lex's move, standing close enough that they could talk quietly without anyone overhearing them.

"What do you mean that you're not going to be with them for long?" the guard asked.

"You didn't hear?" Lex asked with a raised eyebrow. "Huh. I thought it was obvious. I look like Lex Luthor. Master Clark's head over heels for him. He calls me Lex when he fucks me. I'm here because Lex disappeared and he misses him. As soon as Lex is found I'll be gone. It's okay. Bruce made it clear from the beginning and the pay's good. Going to take a big chunk off of my debt."

"Fuck," the guard breathed. He looked at Lex with pity, which Lex shrugged off. "Look, if you were sticking with them I wouldn't say this but you need to know. The city's on edge. There's this guy in town, got a whole crew. He's some sort of Master from Asia, Tibet I think. Goes by the name of Ras Al Ghul. His seneschal is a guy named Ducard. That's one scary son of a bitch there. All the small houses know that something huge is going to go down soon, though we don't know when. We've been warned to stay inside and stay out of it if we don't want to be destroyed. Ras is planning on taking out the big houses, especially Wayne and O'Neill. Gotham's just the start the way I heard it. You need to keep your head down as long as you're in town."

Lex looked around to make sure that no one was listening. They weren't. It was a blessing and a curse. He'd really have liked to have someone else confirm this. It was exactly the sort of thing they needed to know but he was grateful that no one was there because that was probably what had inspired the guard to speak freely. He leaned a little closer but not so close that it would look like he was trying to seduce the guard. He had no intention of being beaten for betraying his pretend concubine contract's exclusivity clause.

"Seriously?" Lex breathed. He let his face show all the worry and alarm he felt.

"Yeah." The guard nodded. "It's soon. We can tell. All the people here know it. It's probably going to be messy. I heard that there's some sort of super weapon involved. The seneschal had us install brand air filtering units and got gas masks just in case they use some sort of gas attack. Hell, they painted the exterior of the building with lead paint in case of radioactive attacks. We've got food and water stockpiled to last for weeks."

"Fuck," Lex breathed, his heart and mind racing. "Anyone warn Master Clark? The kid's trying to get away from trouble back home. I hate to think that he's walked into something worse."

"Not that I know of," the guard said, shrugging. He obviously didn't much care as long as he survived the trouble. "Up to you if you want to."

Lex straightened up. The hunted expression on the people outside the wall made a lot more sense now. He could see how they were all looking over their shoulders, scanning for threats in the shadows. It reminded him of Metropolis and his father's campaigns to eradicate everyone who might threaten his power. It reminded him of the way people acted when the Emperor's Guard came through town looking for traitors.

"I might," Lex nodded. "Thanks for telling me."

"No problem," the guard said with a quick look behind them. "But I didn't say nothing, not one fucking word. I just told you to get off the walls and go back to bed."

"Yeah, yeah," Lex said, waving a hand at him casually. "Whatever. I'm still bored."

"I suppose a kid like that would be boring in bed," the guard snickered.

"Oh no, it's not boring when they're in bed with me," Lex snorted. "Anything but boring. I swear I've found places I didn't know existed since they started using me. It's just the waiting for them that's boring. Once Master Clark or Bruce show up it's nonstop excitement"

The guard cringed, looking at Lex as if scanning for injuries. Lex's lips started twitching. Bruce's reputation had obviously spread farther than they thought. He was going to have a lot of fun teasing Bruce about it later. The retribution for the teasing should be fun as well, especially since he was sure Bruce would carry it into the bedroom.

"Bruce gets to use you too?" the guard asked. He looked a little concerned for Lex's wellbeing as he asked.

"Yup," Lex said, shrugging. "Thus me getting up and walking it off."

"Yeah well walk it off somewhere else, like the infirmary," the guard said, shooing Lex away as if he was worried he'd break. "Damn. I know how hard he is in a fight. I heard he's worse in bed."

"He's tough, that's for sure," Lex said, shrugging. He grinned wickedly over his shoulder at the guard. "But at least it's not boring!"

Lex headed back inside, deliberately walking with just enough of a limp to make the guard and anyone else watching think that he was hiding being hurt. Let them all be afraid of Bruce. It should make things easier for him when he was dealing with the staff. Lex headed back up to their rooms, hoping that Clark or Bruce would be there. He really needed to let them know about Ducard and Ras Al Ghul.


	2. Chapter 2

It was very strange being back in Gotham. Bruce remembered what it had been under his father. He could see what it had become since then. Gotham had never been a shining city full of hope like Metropolis. It had never had the simple purity of Smallville. Gotham had been a dark, corrupt place long before he was born. His father had done his best to clean the city up but in the end his crusade had resulted in his and his wife's deaths. Since their deaths, the city had rotted to the core. Bruce hated it. He wasn't sure what he would do about it but something would have to be done once he had his position back.

"I did not expect you to see you return to this town."

Bruce stopped in his tracks. The back rooms of House Clark should have been secure. _That_ voice should never have been heard in this house. He turned and looked at the man who had ordered his family's destruction. Those intense eyes were exactly the same though the widow's peak had deepened and his hair had begun to gray. Henri Ducard looked back at Bruce calmly. There was a tiny smile on his lips that didn't extend to his eyes.

"I didn't expect to see you _here_ ," Bruce said, glaring at him.

"There are few places that are closed if one knows the right words to say," Ducard replied far too calmly. "This is not a place that you should be, Mr. Wayne. Take your Master and go elsewhere."

"No." Bruce stiffened and glared at Ducard. "Not until I understand why you did this. Why did you destroy my family?"

Ducard smiled sadly at Bruce. This time the smile did reach his eyes. He looked as if he was disappointed in Bruce's ability to see things clearly. Bruce bristled. Ducard stepped closer, standing nearly nose to nose with Bruce. He smelled of incense, sweat and the faintest trace of blood.

"Your parents were a powerful force for good," Ducard said. "They did their best to save this city but it is too late for Gotham. This city, this empire, has rotted to its core. It must be purged, cleansed so that justice and truth can thrive once more."

"What gives you the right to pass judgment on Gotham?" Bruce snarled.

Ducard's eyes burned as he met Bruce's glare. His voice was deep and confident as he spoke. "For centuries the League of Shadows has gone to the places where evil has taken root and burned it out. Like Constantinople and Athens before it, Gotham has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving by even the greatest Master and it must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the League of Shadows, one that we've performed for centuries. Every time a city reaches the pinnacle of its decadence we return to restore the balance."

"Gotham can be saved. It will be saved," Bruce hissed at Ducard. "There are good people here. This is a place where many people come to find fresh starts in life. Gotham has evil, I don't deny it, but it serves a purpose and it only needs a firm guiding hand. This is _my_ city. Give me time and I will save it."

Ducard made a little huff of sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a snort. His expression had slid into something that was almost fond, as if he knew Bruce better than Bruce knew himself. It made Bruce's skin crawl to think that Ducard and his 'League' might have been keeping an eye on him all this time, ensuring that he stayed a slave.

"You are defending a city that is corrupt to its very core," Ducard said. He reached out a hand to touch Bruce's elbow, stopping as Bruce stepped back and went to the ready. His hand dropped back to his side. "We have infiltrated every level of this city and every House, including your beloved House Clark. The Empire is corrupt but it can be saved if the cancer at its heart is cut out. Purging Gotham of the great Houses will allow us to scourge the evil from the Empire's core. You need not stand against us, Bruce. You have much potential. Stand by our side and we shall ensure that you will be restored to your post as House Wayne Dominus in the aftermath."

"No," Bruce growled. "I don't need your help to get what's mine. House Wayne is mine. Gotham is mine. I don't care what you think of the Empire or Gotham. I will save them from themselves and from you. Get out of this house and out of this city!"

"As you wish," Ducard said with a little mock-respectful bow to Bruce. "When next we meet I will not be as kind."

"Neither will I."

Bruce glared at Ducard's back as he turned and calmly walked out of the back rooms. Bruce followed him, watching the way the servants and slaves in the House shivered and stepped aside for him. They were terrified of him. He calmly walked straight out of the house and into the street. Bruce went up on the wall and watched Ducard walk into the Narrows, his heart raging in his heart. Once Ducard was out of sight Bruce turned and stormed back into the House, looking for Master Clark and Lex.

"There you are," Lex said the instant Bruce walked into their suite. "There's so much that you need to know."

"Ducard was here," Bruce said, cutting Lex off. "He came and found me in the back rooms. He told me that he's going to destroy Gotham. He offered me House Wayne to stay out of the way."

"That matches with what the guard I talked to said," Lex said, looking very much a Dominus as he straightened up and frowned. "There are gas masks and new air filters on the House to protect everyone."

"We need to act," Master Clark said, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared out the window. "They put lead paint on the walls so I can't see through them but everything that I've overheard agrees with what you two found out. Something big is coming, guys. I think we might have left one danger only to blunder into a greater one."

Lex nodded slowly, the thoughts almost visibly tumbling behind his eyes. Bruce nodded as well. For once he wished for Teal'c's presence. There were very few people that he would want by his side for a fight like this. Teal'c would be wonderful at his back, as good as Master Clark or Lex. One way or the other they had to stop Ducard.

"Where do we start?" Bruce asked.

"Earle," Master Clark said. "I'm going to attend a Dominus meeting with him this evening. It should give me an idea of what sort of person he is and what his part of this is. I intend to attack him at the meeting. Bruce, you'll stay here and root out whoever Ducard's people are. Lex, you'll come with me to the meeting. I want to get your take on everything. Once we have a better idea then maybe I can contact House O'Neill. They really need to know about this if they don't already."

"That should work," Bruce said, nodding slowly. "We have to stop him. No matter what it costs, we have to stop him!"

"Agreed," Lex declared. "Now tell us everything that he said. Once you're done I'll tell you what I've found out."

Bruce nodded and started pacing. He couldn't stay still. This had to be stopped. As far as Gotham had fallen it was still his city. He was the 'Prince' of Gotham. He was responsible for the residents of this city. He was responsible for the Houseless that they had saved and sent to Gotham. He had to save Lex and Master Clark. Ducard could not be allowed to succeed.

+++++

"You… brought your concubine?" Earle asked, staring at Lex kneeling at Clark's feet.

"Well, it's not as though this is a true Dominus meeting," Clark said, raising an eyebrow at Earle. "A seneschal can't call a Dominus meeting."

Earle's nostrils flared and his head reared back as if Clark had just slapped him. In a very real way he had. For all that House Wayne was one of the oldest and presumably strongest Houses on the continent, they had no Dominus and thus no real power politically.

"You're young," Earle said, trying to smile at Clark as he offered a hand to him.

"Not that young," Clark snorted, completely ignoring Earle's hand. "Excuse me. I see some Dominus to talk to. Thanks for hosting the party."

"It's a working meeting," Earle said. His jaw was clenched so tight that Clark suspected his teeth were creaking.

"Really?" Clark drawled. He looked around at the other people there. None of them looked at all interested in working. They seemed far more interested in drinking Earle's wine and eating the food that he'd set out. "Huh. You have an interesting definition of 'working'."

Clark walked away, Lex following him half a pace behind and to the left. Earle growled but didn't try and stop Clark. It was the most direct snub that Clark could give him at that point. The others watching them had obviously picked up on it if their smirks or scowls were anything to judge by. There were a lot more smirks than scowls so Clark wasn't too worried that he'd done something politically stupid. He had basically cut Earle off at the knees by refusing to acknowledge him as a potential Dominus. It was a bold move for a Dominus in Training at a small House but Clark didn't care. Bruce would be back soon and Earle would be out on his ear.

"Sure that was wise, Master?" Lex murmured as Clark got a small glass of wine for each of them.

"Necessary," Clark said, sipping his wine. It was cheap and sour. "Bleh. He's messing up everything, isn't he?"

"Mmm," Lex grunted after he took a sip and made a face. "Yeah. This is horrid."

"That was interesting," a young blond Dominus said as he approached the refreshment table.

"I really don't know how he gets away with half the things he does," Clark said sighing just a hair dramatically. "Master Clark Kent of House Clark. Yes, my name really is Clark. My mom never expected me to inherit."

The Dominus laughed, his eyes sparkling as he grinned at Clark. His personal slave was a beautiful young woman with dark hair and eyes. She looked like she was a personal secretary but the proprietary way that she looked at him made Clark think that he took advantage of other skills than professional ones in private.

"Oliver Queen," Oliver said, nodding to Clark. "This is Dinah, my personal slave. I'm surprised you brought a concubine instead of your personal slave."

"Bruce had more important things to do than deal with this frippery," Clark said, waving his glass at the gathering. "Until the heir to House Wayne is found or a new Dominus is chosen this is all just marking time."

"Most aren't quite so blunt about it," Oliver commented. He took a sip of the wine and winced.

"Granted," Clark said with a casual shrug. "I think people ought to be more blunt. For heaven's sake, if he were going to be voted in he would have been a decade ago. He's just prolonging the inevitable."

Oliver nodded agreement. He looked over at Earle who was busily trying to talk to several other Dominus who were doing a lovely job of ignoring him. "I am rather surprised that neither House O'Neill nor House Luthor are represented today. They normally show up at these things."

"They're busy," Clark said. He made sure that his tone of voice was casual but Oliver still speared him with a far too curious glance.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Clark said. He carefully schooled his expression to be calm and disinterested. "House O'Neill is upset about a House Luthor plant outside of Smallville so they're busy with that. And of course Dominus Luthor is looking for his son Lex."

"I'd forgotten about that," Oliver said in a tone that made Clark think that he'd wanted to ask about it for ages and was grateful to be given the chance. "Any idea what happened?"

"Officially no," Clark said. He rocked back on his heels and looked around them in a mock-casual way. Lex's eyes were sparkling with mingled annoyance and humor at Oliver and Clark's performance so far.

"Unofficially?" Oliver asked much more quietly.

"Lionel didn't approve of Lex poking into some of his less than ethical private projects and Lex escaped before his father could arrange for an 'assassination'." Clark lowered his voice so that only the four of them could hear the words. He was sure that it would be public knowledge in minutes despite that. Earle had to have bugged the place to within an inch of its life.

"Ah."

Oliver nodded as if it was what he'd expected. Dinah nodded minimally. Clark thought that she'd expected it too. He made a mental note to ask Lex later how he'd known Oliver. They must have interacted at other meetings. Clark was only just starting to attend the meetings as his grandfather's heir so he didn't know everyone.

"So could you do me a huge favor?" Clark asked hopefully.

"Depends on what the favor is," Oliver asked, taking another sip of the wine and shuddering. He set it aside with a disgusted glare.

"Horrid isn't it?" Clark laughed.

"Terrible," Oliver agreed.

"Um, this is my first meeting away from Dominus Luthor or my grandfather," Clark admitted bashfully. "I was hoping you could point out who everyone is. I had no intention of letting Earle introduce me like some prize he's brought in."

Oliver laughed, shaking his head that this was the favor that Clark was requesting. It wasn't as though Clark was asking for actual introductions, which implied a much closer relationship than they had. But trusting Oliver enough to have him name everyone and tell him which House they came from did imply that he was willing to extend their acquaintance further, which was a good thing for a small house like House Clark. And House Queen could use more allies given that they'd been censured by the Emperor because of the activities of the Green Arrow in Star City.

"Sure," Oliver said, smiling more openly at Clark. "Us young ones need to stick together against all the old fogies here."

Clark snickered at that. Oliver leaned closer, pointing out all the other Dominus and their attendants at the meeting. There seemed to be two distinct groups at the meeting. Master Hal Jordan, who seemed to be a stern but honest man disgusted by Earle's behavior, represented House Jordan. He was standing with Domina Zatana Zatara and Dominus Barry Allen. Clark thought that Barry seemed far more interested in flirting with Zatana than he did the meeting. Off in a corner close to them was Dominus Carter Hall who was apparently trying to bore his way through Clark's head with his eyes.

"What's up with Dominus Hall?" Clark asked Oliver uncomfortably.

"I really don't know," Oliver admitted with a little frown. "I've never seen him behave that way before. Maybe he likes your slave."

"Mine!" Clark squawked. Lex chuckled as Clark drew him into his arms protectively.

Oliver and Dinah both laughed at him. Clark blushed and then laughed a little sheepishly. He didn't think that was what was actually bothering Carter but you never knew. He wasn't about to let anyone at Lex no matter what the reason. His disguise as Clark's concubine was the only thing protecting him right now.

On the other side of the room was Earle's cronies or maybe the people he was trying to court to get him into power. The little round man with the obnoxious laugh was Master Oswald Cobblepot. Master Jonathan Crane danced attendance on Earle as though he thought Earle was the most important person in the room, at least until his back was turned. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes as if he thought Earle was tedious. Earle was busy talking to a handsome man that Oliver identified as Dominus Harvey Dent. The only person that Oliver wasn't sure of was a beautiful young woman that Dinah quietly identified as Talia.

"No idea who she's representing," Oliver admitted with a frown.

"What's her House name?" Clark asked.

"Al Ghul," Dinah said after Oliver nodded that it was okay for her to speak freely. "I believe that her father is R'as Al Ghul. It's a foreign house visiting Gotham at the moment."

"Then she's the most dangerous person in the room," Clark said, deliberately not looking at her.

"Seriously?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah," Clark said, hugging Lex a little tighter. "Don't ask me how I know but her father has… plans… for Gotham."

Oliver took a deep breath, rocking back on his heels. He nodded slowly, also not looking at her. Oliver looked like he wanted something to drink but when he glanced at the table with the wine he shuddered. Clark chuckled, grinning at Oliver who grinned and then laughed.

"I can't believe he's serving such garbage," Oliver said.

"He probably doesn't have any good wine left," Clark said. He shook his head sadly. Oliver and Dinah snickered at the implication that Earle was nothing more than a drunkard butler with delusions of grandeur. Lex bit his lip, discretely elbowing Clark to dial it down a notch.

"Want to wander over to the other young pups?" Oliver offered. "Not that I'm introducing you or anything."

"Oh no, of course not," Clark agreed with a huge grin that inspired grins from both Oliver and Dinah. "Why not? Anything to get away from the 'temptation' of the buffet."

Oliver laughed out loud at that quip, clapping Clark's shoulder. They wandered over to the others, cleanly dividing the room along lines that Clark thought were probably best described as light and dark, or maybe old and young. Hall still stared furiously at Clark but he also smiled once Clark introduced himself. Jordan shook Clark's hand in a gesture of welcome that surprised Clark. The others introduced themselves, Barry trying his best to introduce Zatana as if she belonged to him. She smacked him, getting a cheesy grin out of him.

"Stop that, Barry," Zatana scolded him. "I'm not going to marry you no matter how many times you ask."

"My heart's broken," Barry sighed dramatically. "Destroyed."

"They're always like that," Oliver said as he rolled his eyes. "It gets old."

"Indeed," Hal agreed.

They started comparing notes about the others at the meeting, all of them wondering if it was for show or if Earle actually had something useful for them to discuss. The general consensus was that it was another of Earle's attempts to win support before there was a House vote.

Talia slowly walked over to them, smiling at them. She was their age so it was a natural thing for her to do but Clark firmly placed Lex behind his back so that he was between her and him. Oliver calmly did the same thing with Dinah. Zatana took in their behavior with a slightly raised eyebrow, shifting her slave behind her as well. Carter didn't appear to have brought one but he gave her a stony stare. Barry looked at the others, looked straight at Talia's bust and then shifted his slave behind his back too. Hal had moved his slave as soon as he saw Talia approaching. Talia's lips tightened and little creases appeared around her eyes but she gave no other sign of being annoyed by the snub.

"Master Earle wishes to begin the meeting," Talia said. Her voice was earthy and sensuous, implying all sorts of things that Barry for one appeared to be quite interested in.

"We'll be there in a little bit," Oliver said.

"Thank you for informing us," Zatana agreed.

They closed ranks against her, shutting her out of their conversation. Zatana picked up a completely new thread of discussion about the Emperor's latest fashion choices and how they appeared to be carrying down to the upper level Dominus. It was obnoxiously frivolous, which dismissed Talia's request as even less important. Talia's shoulders went hard as rock but she turned and walked away, her hips swaying seductively.

"I am rather curious why you did that," Carter murmured to Clark once she was gone.

"Let's just say there was an interesting encounter with her father in House Clark yesterday and I do not approve of her or her father's designs," Clark said. He refused to glare at her back. He was afraid that he'd torch her if he did.

"Ah," Carter murmured, nodding gravely.

The others took it as seriously as Carter appeared to. None of them said anything openly but Clark was pretty sure that they'd all heard the same things that he had about House Wayne going down. Oliver seemed to be the only one who was surprised by it but then House Queen was large and powerful so it would likely have been a target and thus not notified.

They deliberately didn't go into the meeting room until after Earle came to get them himself. By that point he was visibly infuriated at them. The servants in the room were smirking. Clark settled with Lex in his lap instead of on the floor, declaring with that action just how pointless he thought the meeting was. Dinah laughed into her hand under the table. Earle looked like he would love to kill Clark on the spot.

The meeting itself turned out to be as worthless as Clark had thought it would be. Earle didn't have anything new. He didn't have anything that needed to be addressed. He didn't manage to get a consensus out of the attendees on anything, even on a quip about the weather being nasty. By the time the meeting was over an hour and a half later it was quite obvious to Clark that there was going to be a vote of confidence very soon and that Earle was going to lose it.

Clark said goodbye to the other young masters and Dominus, grateful that he'd gotten to meet them. It was the one good thing that had come from the meeting anyway. He and Lex left, heading back to House Clark.

"We need to get Bruce back in charge soon," Clark murmured into Lex's ear as they drove back.

"No kidding," Lex said, nuzzling Clark's neck as if he was bored and horny which would be the normal reaction of a concubine at a meeting like that. "Earle's not going to be in charge much longer."

"That's what we'll do next then," Clark said as he squeezed Lex's butt gently.

Lex laughed, nodding. To the driver it probably looked like they'd just agreed to go fuck, not to essentially overthrow one of the oldest and most powerful Houses on the planet. Clark hoped that they could do it. Come what may he was determined to give it his best shot.

+++++

"Master Clark!"

The seneschal's voice echoed through House Clark, startling Lex out of his absent attempt at absorption with a vapid popular novel. Bruce and Clark were busy plotting how to get Earle out of House Wayne without openly accusing him of enslaving Bruce. They both refused to admit that Lex's plan for a vote of confidence was the best choice, which was why he was ignoring them.

"Master Clark!" the seneschal burst in. He stared around the room wildly for a second, radiating excitement.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked. He stood up and tensed.

"The Emperor's Guard has arrested Lionel Luthor," the seneschal said. His face split in a huge grin. "All the houses under him have been offered independence if they can produce his heir Lex Luthor. There's a huge search going on in House Luthor territory for Lex. We just got the call from your Grandfather. He's hoping that you might know where Lex is."

He looked straight at Lex with an even larger grin. Bruce whispered a reverent curse that sounded more like a blessing. Clark made a garbled noise before cheering. Lex felt something drop into his lap. He only realized that it was his book falling out of his numb fingers after he looked down at it.

"This, this, oh Gods Lex, this is…!" Clark stared at Lex, his mouth open to say things that shouldn't be said around the seneschal, even if he obviously did have a clue.

"This is a problem," Lex declared, his tone of voice dampening everyone else's enthusiasm. "Our enemies have to know by now which means that they'll be coming here and we're going to be under attack very, very soon."

"Fuck, he's right," Bruce snapped, standing to look out the window as if he expected to see people coming at them right then. "Ducard is going to have a field day with this. We're going to have to act fast."

"Get the defenses up," Clark ordered. "I want everyone on ready and armed in the next three minutes. Go!"

The seneschal started and ran from the room. His shouted orders echoed through the house before the door shut him out. Lex carefully closed his book. His mind was flying through all the possible things that could happen. This couldn't be as easy as it seemed. He had to get to the Emperor's Guard station. That was on the other side of Gotham. They were basically in the Narrows, which was Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul's place of power. This was going to be quite dangerous, no matter what powers and skills they had between them.

"I can go at super speed to the Guard," Clark offered.

"No!" Bruce snapped.

"Won't work," Lex said, shaking his head no. "I need to report there. They won't accept word of mouth, Clark. I need to show up in person and soon, before someone comes up with a double."

"Didn't think of that," Clark admitted. He winced at Bruce's glare and rubbed the back of his neck. "So we need to send you in one of the cars."

"Has to be the armored one," Bruce said. "I'll drive."

Bruce winced at the glares Lex and Clark leveled at him. A second later his spine was lengthening as he prepared to launch on some stupidly self-sacrificing speech. Lex snorted and cut him off with a waved hand.

"No, you're not going to drive," Lex said. "You drive way too slow. I'll drive myself, thank you very much. You know I'm a faster driver than you are. I would much prefer that you and Clark guarded me from the outside of the car anyway. You know there are going to people attacking me along the way."

"We've got those new suits," Clark offered thoughtfully. "The ones that we bought off the black market and modified. That would help conceal our real identities."

"Good idea," Lex agreed. He set his book aside, slowly standing. "Clark, have you gotten the flying thing down yet?"

"Um, well enough that I can do air support," Clark nodded slowly. "I'm still pretty wobbly but with your life on the line I think I can muster the control."

"I'll use one of the armored bikes, the black unmarked one," Bruce said. "What route?"

"Why plan it?" Lex said with a sardonic smirk. "You know that the route is going to change as we go. Traffic and any attacks along the way will alter it no matter how well we plan."

Bruce snorted and nodded his agreement. Clark and Bruce got into their new armor while Lex put body armor on under his clothes. He felt a little more secure with it on but he knew that he was taking a huge risk doing this. It didn't matter if it was risky or not. If he was going to clean up the mess that his father had made and help both Clark and Bruce then he needed to do this.

Ten minutes later Lex pulled out of the House Clark's gate and onto the street. He knew that Clark was on the rooftop overhead. Bruce was somewhere out there already on his black bike, in his black armor and helmet. Lex turned toward the station and smiled as he caught a glimpse of Bruce in all his shadowy glory. A second later he saw Clark on the top of a building close by. His armor was as bright as Bruce's was dark, painted in red and blue with a gold breastplate.

"Caught between Light and Dark," Lex murmured, quoting a line from an old, old ballad that his mother had loved. "Let's see if I can survive better than that poor fool did."

He gunned the engine and shot through traffic. Bruce took up a post close to his rear bumper, providing an escort that probably looked like pursuit to everyone else. It didn't take long before the first attack appeared. Lex gasped as a rocket exploded midair, apparently intercepted by Clark's heat vision. He swerved left and rocketed up a side street before turning abruptly down a connecting right street to send him back in the right direction. He barely managed to swing around and catch the on ramp for the bridge that connected the Narrows to the rest of the city.

The next attack was an armored van that tried to sideswipe him and drive him over the railing into the river. Bruce blew out its tires and dodged around the tumbling van as if it wasn't there. Lex didn't look back beyond a quick glance. He was airborne for a few seconds as he flew off of the bridge and into the city proper.

"Come on," Lex whispered as he swerved into the on coming lanes to avoid a bunch of cars stopped at a traffic light.

He snorted as he zoomed through the intersection and left cars honking and people screaming behind him. The more chaos he caused behind him, the better. It would make it harder for people following him to attack him. He saw Bruce's bike in his rear view mirror out of the corner of his eye. He had to look again because there were almost a dozen bikes instead of one. All of them were in black armor that looked far too much like Bruce's. Al Ghul had armored his thugs well.

"Fuck!" Lex snarled.

He blasted through three more lights, losing half of the bikes to various collisions and Bruce's gun. Clark swooped out of the sky and got more. Lex didn't let himself watch the battle unfolding behind him. He focused on the road ahead and plotted the possible turns that would get him where he needed to go.

"Let's go for the fastest route," Lex said. "I may be crazy but it might work."

His fingers tightened on the steering wheel involuntarily. The most direct route from where he was to the Guard station was straight through House Wayne's walled territory. If he went around the wall it would add another hour at least to the travel time and would open him up to many more attacks.

Of course, if he went through then he was in the middle of _Earle's_ territory and they already knew that Bill Earle was on Al Ghul's side. Despite the risk, it would cut the trip down to twenty minutes at most. Lex nodded and swerved into on coming traffic again. He could practically hear Bruce and Clark cursing in his head. He didn't let their inevitable fury stop him.

Lex darted in and out of on-coming traffic, heading straight for the biggest gate through House Wayne's wall. He could see the way the Wayne warriors were scrambling as he roared at the gate. They were grabbing weapons and aiming at him. Lex started whispering prayers that he could find another car once he broke through the gate. They were going to blow out the tires or maybe destroy the engine. Maybe this wasn't the best idea he'd had after all.

Clark zoomed in front of Lex, flying nearly directly in front of Lex's car. The Wayne warriors started shouting, dropping their guns as if they were too hot to handle. The gate disappeared in a shower of splinters as Bruce roared up along Lex's right side and shot it with a blaster that had to be illegal. Bruce tossed it aside as it malfunctioned in a shower of sparks that led to an explosion big enough to rock the guards back on their heels.

"Thank you boys," Lex murmured as his shoulders relaxed just a little bit.

He drove straight through the gap without slowing down. Clark flew ahead of him and to the left, just high enough that he wasn't a distraction. Bruce appeared to have glued himself to Lex's right bumper from the way he matched each of Lex's turns and bursts of acceleration.

Factories, housing, training complexes flashed by, each looking just a bit too worn and run down to belong to House Wayne. It bothered Lex that the formerly glorious House had fallen so far. He pushed the accelerator down. The sooner he was in place the sooner Bruce could restore his House.

It felt like forever before the next attack. Lex was halfway across House Wayne's territory when he rounded a corner and cursed. There was a blanket of caltrops on the road that would shred any car's wheels. Behind that were concrete barriers that had been put up to completely block the road. And behind that were armored men with rockets and guns, all of which were aimed at Lex.

"Fuck!" Lex swore. There were no other places to go. No turns, no other routes. He'd driven straight into a trap.

Clark zoomed ahead again so fast that Lex barely saw him. He did something that melted and then cooled the road, causing the caltrops to sink into the asphalt. Bruce roared up again, somehow balancing his bike while aiming a grenade launcher at the concrete barriers.

Time slowed down for Lex. He felt like the grenade flew in slow motion, so slowly that it wasn't going to get there before he did. He could have sworn that he would hit the barriers before it landed. It didn't. It hit, blew up and threw debris everywhere.

"God damn it!" Lex snarled and desperately down shifted once the smoke cleared.

The soldiers were gone but the concrete barriers had left enough rubble that there was no way his car could get through. Lex gasped and clutched the steering wheel as something latched onto the roof of his car. Fervent prayers and curses spilled out of his mouth as his car suddenly lifted off of the ground and flew straight over the barriers.

"Don't ever do that again," Lex whispered as Clark set his car back down.

He gunned the engine and did his best to fly for the other gate. His heart was pounding so hard from his impromptu flight that Lex felt like it was going to go straight through his chest. He glanced in the rear view mirror and chuckled. Bruce had darted through the rubble with ease. He was still glued to Lex's rear bumper.

The attacks that came after that seemed far less organized. The streets had apparently been cleared when he went through House Wayne's gate because once he broke through the next barrier and roared out onto the streets there weren't any cars. Three rockets were launched at him from rooftops along the way but Clark destroyed them. There were four more attempts to drive him off of the road with cars or bikes but Bruce dealt with them.

When Lex screeched around the last corner and accelerated towards the Emperor's Guard station he laughed. Their gate was open and waiting for him. Lex smiled, drove straight at them and put the car into a skidding turn that spun him around and to a stop inside of the gate where he was safe. Lex looked out at the street, his heart still pounding.

Clark in his shining armor flew straight up into the sky. Bruce in his dark armor spun his bike and drove back the way he'd come, disappearing into the dark shadows of Gotham's underworld. Lex relaxed back against the cushions for a moment. He shut off the car, waited until the Guard had closed the gate and secured the area and then, as calmly as possible given the way his hands were shaking from his adrenaline rush, opened the door and got out.

"My name is Lex Luthor," Lex declared. "I've come to claim my position."

"Yes Dominus," the Captain of the Guard said. His eyes were wide with awe but he smiled at Lex. "We rather thought that you had to be the one causing chaos in the streets."

"I didn't cause it," Lex said regally. "I just escaped it. Let's go inside. I don't want to be hit by a sniper's bullet before I've been confirmed."

"Yes, Dominus."

The Captain led Lex inside, gesturing for everyone to stay on alert. Lex relaxed a little bit once he was behind closed doors. Things could still go wrong but at least now he had a chance to make things right for the people he loved.

+++++

"You have a guest," the Imperial Guard said as opening the door to the room Lex was in. "Master Clark of House Clark and his personal slave."

The Guard sounded hesitant, as if he expected Lex to say that they should be sent away. Clark's heart clenched a little bit in the irrational fear that Lex would turn them away. It was stupid but he couldn't help but worry. There was no reason for Lex to welcome them that anyone outside of their little group knew. If he'd been playing them then he would turn them away. The wild worries buffeted Clark's mind until Lex appeared at the door, grinning with delight.

"Wonderful!" Lex beamed at Clark and Bruce. "I'm glad you made it here after all the chaos on the streets."

"Well, now that you've resurfaced I thought we might, you know, um, continue talking?" Clark said, sliding into his bashful farm boy routine. It wasn't exactly a routine this time. This was a highly public way to declare their interest in each other and it'd get back to the Emperor in minutes at most.

Lex laughed and grabbed Clark's wrist, pulling him close so that he could give Clark a ferocious kiss. Clark could hear the Guard chuckling. He didn't care now that Lex was in his arms again. After the drive yesterday and all the news reports speculating about how Lex had escaped from House Clark territory to Gotham, he really needed the reassurance that everything was okay between them.

"Thank you," Lex breathed once their lips parted. "I wouldn't have survived without your help, Clark."

"I couldn't let him kill you," Clark murmured, blushing brightly that Lex was saying this in front of the Guard and by extension the entire world.

"Ah, so you did help," the Guard said. "We wondered."

"We were discussing a marriage alliance before my father attempted to kill me," Lex explained. "There's no surprise that Clark helped me escape. I wouldn't let him admit it until I was sure that everything was secure on my side though. I won't allow him to endanger himself that way."

The Guard nodded, his lips twitching with amusement at Clark's bashful excitement and the way Lex was clinging to him. Bruce had put on his best invisible slave manners coupled with his most effective completely blank face so he was barely there except to Clark and Lex. Lex tugged Clark into the room, gesturing for Bruce to follow.

"I'll let the Captain know that his speculations were correct," the Guard said. "I'm sure that the Emperor will award independence to House Clark. Do you need anything from us?"

"Privacy," Lex declared with just wicked enough of a grin to make everyone, even Bruce, laugh.

"We can certainly give you that," the Guard laughed while shaking his head at Lex. "Enjoy getting… reacquainted."

"Thank you," Lex said so regally that he might be the Emperor himself.

The regal attitude evaporated as he grabbed Bruce's wrist, hauled him into the room and then slammed the door behind him. Lex kissed Bruce with the same fervor, dragging him close and latching onto Bruce's lips as if it was life itself. Bruce groaned and tugged Lex up against his body. His hands drifted down to Lex's ass, squeezing hard.

"I've been dying waiting for you two to show up," Lex panted once Bruce finally let him go. "You couldn't call and let me know that you made it all right?"

"Communications were blacked out other than official channels," Clark explained. "The Guard claims that they did it but I don't think so. It seems to be emanating from the Narrows so it's probably Al Ghul."

"Remind me of that later," Lex said while rubbing his hips against Bruce's. "Right now the only thing I want to think about is the two of you. The rest of the world can take a flying fuck. I need to thank you two for protecting me yesterday."

"I think we need to properly worship the new Dominus," Bruce said in his darkest, sexiest voice.

Clark grinned and moved close to press up against Lex's back so that he was pinned between the two of them. Lex groaned, letting his head drop back so that it rested on Clark's shoulder. The length of neck that move exposed was obviously too much for Bruce to resist because he immediately started biting Lex's neck, leaving a trail of hickies as he worked his way down towards Lex's stomach. He was already pulling Lex's clothes off to expose more flesh to bite and kiss.

"There's a bed in the other room," Lex gasped after a particularly painful looking bite that made him buck his hips and clutch Bruce's hair as if to force him closer.

"Beds are good," Clark murmured as he planted gentle little kisses all over Lex's face and scalp.

"Very good," Bruce agreed.

Neither of them made a move towards the next room. Instead Bruce went to his knees in front of Lex and pulled his pants open so that he could swallow Lex's cock whole. Lex shouted which made Clark groan. He caught Lex's face, turning it so that he could kiss Lex with everything he had. Lex's legs wobbled so Clark held him up while continuing the kiss.

"Bed!" Lex gasped after a few seconds of kissing that lasted for eternity. "Bed now, both of you!"

"And if we don't want bed?" Bruce drawled from his knees. His eyes were full of lust and mischief.

"I am the full Dominus in this room," Lex declared with every bit of authority that he could given that his clothes were pushed aside and his pants were around his ankles. "This is my celebration and I want it in a bed with one of you at either end."

"That's a good reason to go to bed," Clark commented to Bruce just flippantly enough to make Lex huff. "You lock the door. I'll carry him in."

Clark scooped Lex up, kissing him again to silence the mildly outraged splutters spilling from Lex's mouth. The splutters quickly turned into whimpers of pleasure. It wasn't hard to float them into the bedroom. The door was a big double-door that had been flung open before they came in, so there was plenty of room for them to drift slowly from the living room into the bedroom.

"You're getting better at that," Bruce commented while closing the bedroom doors. He tossed Lex's clothes aside and stripped quickly.

"Practice makes perfect," Clark commented.

"Flying," Lex breathed, blinking as he realized that they'd moved. "Oh fuck you have got to take me this way sometime."

"Soon," Bruce said. He climbed onto the bed and pulled Clark and Lex down with him. "After I'm done with this end."

"And after I'm done with this end," Clark agreed.

Lex grinned at them. He gasped as Bruce swallowed him whole while rubbing his fingers against Lex's entrance. Clark licked his lips at how sexy the two of them were. He almost didn't want to move but Lex tugged at Clark's tunic, prompting him back into action. It only took a second for Clark to strip at super speed and then Lex was pulling at his hips so that he could give Clark the same attention that Bruce was giving him.

Lex's fingers delved into Clark's entrance, making him groan and brace himself against the wall. Bruce's head moved in perfect unison with Lex's. They were both making little moans of pleasure that went straight to Clark's balls.

"Too sexy," Clark moaned as he very gently petted Lex's scalp.

Bruce pulled up off of Lex and shifted position so that he was between Lex's legs. He applied lube while leaving another series of love bites on Lex's stomach and hips. Clark shuddered when Bruce penetrated Lex. The pressure and intensity of Lex's mouth increased a million times.

"Like this," Clark murmured.

"Mm-hmm!" Lex nodded.

His eyes had shut as soon as Bruce pushed in. Bruce rumbled deep in his chest. He started fucking Lex hard and fast. One of his hands reached out to grab Clark, pulling him close so that they could kiss while fucking Lex at both ends. Lex made a strangled noise that sounded like he was in heaven.

"That's it," Bruce said in his best Dominus voice. "Take those cocks. Get those fingers deep in Clark's ass, Lex. Fuck him hard!"

"Ahh!" Clark cried out as Lex did exactly what Bruce wanted.

It was too hot to last long. Lex bucked and came first, spraying over his stomach. Clark followed him when Lex's fingers reached deep inside and brushed his prostate hard. He managed to pull back enough that he didn't choke Lex as he came. Lex wouldn't let go of his hips and ass so Clark filled his mouth, panting from how good it was. Bruce came last, spilling inside of Lex after a half dozen more hard thrusts that had the bed bouncing against the wall.

"Fuck I needed that," Lex groaned once they'd all collapsed together on the bed. "I got used to be a catamite for you two and missed it last night."

"Mmm, missed you too," Clark sighed as he pulled Lex into his arms.

"You can always play catamite for us," Bruce chuckled. He moved so that he was pressed up against Lex's back, creating a Lex sandwich.

A sated chuckle was all that they got in reply. Lex's fingers drew idle circles along Clark's hip, tracing the bone and following the dip of his stomach. Bruce couldn't seem to stop kissing and nuzzling the back of Lex's head and neck. For his part, Clark's toes kept rubbing against the tops of Lex's feet as if they needed reassurance that Lex was really there between them.

"So what was that about communications being blacked out?" Lex asked once they'd calmed and cooled off.

"Ask in the morning," Bruce advised. He bucked hard into Lex's ass, grinning at the way both Lex and Clark gasped. "That only took the edge off."

"Yeah," Clark said with a naughty grin. "Besides, I thought you wanted to try flying sex."

"I'm sorry," Lex said with an expression that bordered on dumbfounded. "Was there a question being asked that had nothing to do with sex? I think my brain's stuck on precisely one track at the moment."

"Sex?" Bruce asked with a deep belly laugh.

" _Flying_ sex," Lex clarified. He grinned over his shoulder at Bruce and then turned to rub his hips against Clark's growing erection. "I think it's Clark's turn to be taken by Bruce and my turn to take Clark."

"Hmm," Clark said thoughtfully, "I'm not sure how that'll work."

"We'll work it out," Lex said with complete confidence. "We'll work everything out as long as the three of us are together."

+++++

He should be back at House Clark.

Bruce knew that he should. Even though it was late and most everyone was asleep, he knew that he should be taking care of Master Clark, helping him deal with all the political nonsense that had sprung up since Lex had taken over House Luthor and House Clark had gotten its independence. Master Clark and Lex had both been awake when he'd stalked out, awake and working with their heads together over the stacks of paperwork and plans.

Despite the efforts of Master Clark and Lex to include him, Bruce felt rather left out by their growing bond. They were the main topic of gossip across the entire Empire. Bruce had to admit that it made an incredibly romantic story: Clark saving the love of his life and protecting him until he could reclaim his place as Dominus, especially with the open knowledge that Lex had pretended to be Clark's concubine while hiding. They had already received multiple offers to turn the story into a TV drama. Two agents were trying to sell Clark and Lex on the idea of a blockbuster movie.

The part that had Bruce out patrolling the Narrows rather than helping his Master was the 'love of his life' part. As much as Bruce enjoyed Lex's presence in their lives and their bed, Bruce had been there first. Lex was the recent addition, the Johnny-come-lately. Bruce was the one who had always been the love of Master Clark's life. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to declare his claim on Master Clark as long as he was a slave. The hurt of that fact of life drove him out of the house and into the dark streets where he could take the anger out on those who abused the Houseless and downtrodden.

There were far too many of those available in the Narrows.

Gotham was much darker than he remembered it being as a boy. Even allowing for his having been the sheltered Dominus In Training, Bruce could see huge differences in Gotham that showed its decline. Bruce knew it wasn't all due to the death of his parents though it was tempting to lay the blame there rather than the inevitable decline of the city that was his one true home. The Emperor's policies played a part in it as well. So many recent policies had made it harder for smaller Houses and the Houseless. Add that to Ra's al Ghul's interference and it was quite obvious how his city could have fallen so far, so fast. Ra's would have found the city easy prey given the way the various Houses worked against each other instead of together.

It was far too easy for the ordinary people to be ground up by the rules the world lived under. He'd seen it in Smallville with the plight of the Houseless. The same problems existed in Metropolis, though they hid away in the cracks between the various Houses that had scraped by under House Luthor's rein. Everywhere he'd been he'd seen how people struggled to live good lives in the middle of systems that set them against people who should be their allies.

As he patrolled through the dark streets near to Gotham's House Clark, Bruce thought that the only difference between other cities and Gotham was that here the problems with the House system were plain for everyone to see. The Narrows, and in particular Crime Alley, was like a microscope showing all the flaws for everyone to see. Bruce made a mental note to tell Martha that they needed to stop sending Houseless people to Gotham. Of course, once he had control of House Wayne it would be easier to help them but many of the people they'd relocated to Gotham were living in the worst conditions imaginable. He stared down from a rooftop at the people huddling in an alley by a warm grate. Some of them were people he'd know from the Underground Railroad.

"I did not expect you to take such a hands-on approach."

Bruce whirled and glared at Ducard. The older man smiled at Bruce with a paternal expression that made his teeth clench and grind. Ducard should not have had any idea who Bruce was. Lex had provided both Bruce and Clark with new suits that concealed their identities. Bruce's design was vaguely batlike, complete with bat ears on it. The only part of his skin that showed was his mouth and chin. Master Clark's was equally well armored, but he'd insisted on leaving his face mostly exposed. All that Master Clark would wear was a small domino mask.

"This is my city," Bruce growled at Ducard. "Get out and leave it alone."

Ducard sighed and looked down at the huddled people in the alleyway. "I respect your desire to save what you consider to be yours, however this is not something that you can fix. Gotham is rotted to the core. When those in power allow things like this to occur there can be no other response than to remove them and wipe the slate clean."

"I can see your influence in Gotham," Bruce said, the words an angry growl that barely sounded human to his ears. "This isn't Gotham's natural state. You arranged for my parent's death. You've ensured that Earl couldn't be effective. You've deliberately made things worse here. This city wouldn't be in this state if it weren't for your actions."

Ducard nodded once, acknowledging the truth of the statement. He didn't appear to feel at all guilty about it. If anything, he thought that Ducard looked quietly proud of the things he'd done to destroy Gotham over the years. That look of discreet pride made Bruce glare at Ducard. Whatever the man wanted had to be bad for everyone that Bruce cared about.

"When a patient is afflicted with cancer, the surgeon must cut out not only the tumor but also some healthy flesh," Ducard said in a far too calm tone of voice. "The House system is the tumor. It distorts everything it touches. Attempting to save this House or that will only ensure that the entire society continues to degenerate. For all to be saved, some must be sacrificed."

"And yet you told me that I could have my House back after you were done," Bruce snapped.

"You will have it back," Ducard said with a nod that was supposed to be regal but which only carried patronizing arrogance. "It would be best for you and for your House to stay out of what is coming. You do not have the power to stop us, nor will stopping us restore you to power. All you can do is worsen the conditions of yourself and your House. In time you will have your place and position back, all without raising a hand. Once Gotham has been cleansed a new sort of system will take its place, one which functions better for those in need."

"A system with you at its head," Bruce said.

Ducard's eyes smiled 'yes' while his head shook 'no'. "I am but the steward for the new way. Ra's al Ghul is the architect of what shall be. I merely help him accomplish what must be. I say again to you, young Wayne: stay out of what is to come. You have a place in the new world order that is coming. I would not wish to see you destroyed when your potential could be put to such good use in the fullness of time. We are your allies in this quest, not your enemies. Allow us to return you to your place when the time comes."

Several men appeared out of the shadows behind them, watching Bruce and Ducard with wary eyes and guns held at the ready. They looked at Ducard as if he was a god, someone who could grant them everything they'd ever dreamed of. Ducard took their worshipful looks as if they were his due. Despite his apparently casual pose, Bruce could see how ready he was for an attack. It was somewhat like watching Teal'c look around a room to assess the dangers hidden within. He was utterly focused on Bruce and completely dismissive of the suffering people in the alley below.

"No," Bruce declared. "I told you before that I don't need nor do I want your assistance. House Wayne is mine. Gotham is mine. I won't allow you to destroy the people here, no matter what House they belong to. I won't let you destroy the Houseless. This is _my_ city, no matter how broken and corrupt it has become, and I will not let you destroy it for your own gain. I would not allow you to do it anywhere in the world to any House or any people!"

Ducard raised an eyebrow at him as if he thought Bruce's speech was mildly amusing. He smiled and bowed ever so slightly as if to concede the argument to Bruce. One of Ducard's fingers twitched and his men swung their guns around to point at Bruce. Bruce glared at Ducard, calculating in his head whether or not the armor could handle the impacts of the bullets. He thought it could but wasn't quite sure.

"Unfortunate," Ducard sighed. "We have watched you, young Wayne. Your potential is tremendous. It is a pity that you seem determined to make yourself into our enemy. We share the same goal, the salvation of the world from the forces keeping it from progressing, and yet you cannot seem to see it."

"Your goal is to make yourself the one in charge," Bruce said. Ducard shook his head no again, looking honestly amused by Bruce's claim. "No matter what grand words you wrap it in, that's what you want, you and your Ra's al Ghul. I'll take an Emperor who attempts to help the poor and downtrodden over an egomaniac who thinks that they're a 'cancer' to be 'cut out'."

Ducard shrugged slightly and made some discreet gesture that his men knew. They switched off their safeties and set their fingers on the triggers. Bruce whirled and flung himself off of the roof, firing his grappling line so that he could swing to a different roof to escape their attack. Bullets whizzed around him, a few hitting his back and thighs. He ignored the impacts. They felt as though they'd bruise but that was it.

It seemed as though Ducard had people on every street corner and on every roof. Bruce swan, ran, jumped and fought his way through the Narrows, taking out Ducard's men one after another. Most of the time it was one or two men, occasionally a woman whose moves reminded him of Mercy, but sometimes he encountered two or three at once. Bruce memorized each face, each location, sure that they had to be up to something bigger than even the rumors claimed. There were too many of them in Gotham, most of them with far too technical of equipment for it to be a simple raid.

"I won't let him destroy my city," Bruce growled as dawn approached and he finally made his way back to House Clark. "Not my House, not House Clark or House Luthor. Not Gotham and definitely not the world."

He slipped into House Clark through the secret passage they'd found on the roof, exhausted but full of rage at Ducard. There had to be a way to stop Ra's al Ghul's plans. Come what may, he would find it and he would save everyone, including Master Clark and Lex. They were sleeping together in the middle of the bed after Bruce removed and hid his armor. Both of them had worried expression despite the fact that they were asleep.

"Mmm?" Lex murmured when Bruce slid under the covers. "Bruce? Finally! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Bruce said far too shortly. "It's dawn. They'll be coming to wake us up soon."

"We were worried about you," Master Clark murmured as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Tell us what happened?"

"Later," Bruce said as he laid his head on the pillow. "I need to get at least an hour or so of sleep."

He shut his eyes against the expressions on their faces. A part of his mind told him that he was being an idiot but the vast majority of his soul roared in anger at Ducard for threatening everything that should have been his. He needed to sleep and then eat. There was far too much to do to keep Ducard from winning this war for him to spend time worrying about Master Clark and Lex's feelings.

After all, they had each other now.

+++++

"We really have to make Bruce sit still," Clark murmured as he flew over Gotham, looking for signs of Ducard's men or other troublemakers.

Neither Lex nor Clark had been able to get Bruce to tell them what was bothering him. It wasn't just Ducard's threat. That much was obvious. Bruce had gone far too grim for it to be that, especially given all the work that Lex was doing to force a vote of confidence in Earle. Lex was gone most of the time right now working on the vote. Every time he came back to them he reported more allies and more progress in the project. Despite that, Bruce had stopped talking to Clark and Lex almost entirely. Clark couldn't remember the last time that Bruce had been so firmly in his 'just a slave' mode at the same time that he'd been this grimly wrapped up in his 'Mission'.

Clark had done what he could to draw Bruce out, but he hadn't been successful in finding out the real reason for Bruce's withdrawal from them. To Clark, it seemed like the most likely explanation was that Bruce was worried about being left behind. After dealing with Bruce's insecurities since he was a little boy, Clark recognized the pattern, though he had yet to figure out an effective method for dealing with it. All the techniques that had worked before hadn't worked this time.

"Stubborn man," Clark grumbled. "We really have to get him back to his House. Then all those stupid insecurities of his won't matter at all. He'll outrank both of us."

He wasn't too worried about talking out loud to himself. Flying several hundred feet above the tallest buildings gave him a bit of leeway against being overheard grousing about his lover and his annoying quirks. Still, he shut his mouth as he dove down to stop a robbery in progress. The robber looked like she was even poorer than the Houseless people that she was robbing. Clark let the Houseless people escape and then let the robber escape too. He thought that he might know her from the Underground Railroad but he wasn't sure. She ran away, obviously terrified of Clark, or more accurately Superman. How he'd gotten tagged with that name, Clark would never know but it had stuck. Just like Bruce had gotten the name Batman, apparently because of his dark armor and the attachment points on his cowl's facemask that looked vaguely like bat ears.

Clark returned to his patrol, listening for Bruce and Lex's heartbeats. Bruce was already off on patrol somewhere in the Narrows so Clark took the somewhat better parts of town between the various walled compounds. Very few people lived there but lots of Houses staged their people for raids in the gaps between the walls. There was nothing wrong with raids, at least officially, but to Clark they had always seemed like the worst sort of stealing.

Not just stealing property and secrets, most raids were about stealing people and making them into slaves for the raiding house. Clark couldn't count how many people they'd sent through the Underground Railroad who had been taken in raids and then escaped or who had been turned out or otherwise discarded after they'd been seized in a raid. If Clark had his way, House raids would be outlawed and any House that indulged in them would be sanctioned or broken up entirely.

As he patrolled high over the edges of the Wayne enclosure, Clark spotted an older black man carefully sneaking out of the area and heading towards the Narrows. From the look on his face he was being hunted. Clark frowned and watched, growling when he spotted some of Ducard's men tracking the man. Anyone that Ducard wanted to grab or maybe murder was by default someone that Clark wanted to save.

He dove down as fast as he could and knocked out the three men. With his speed he was able to do it before they could get their weapons into position. It took a good bit longer to tie them up and then deposit them where the Emperor's Guard would find them before they could wiggle free. By the time he was done, the man he'd helped had made it almost a mile from his last position. Clark swooped down and landed close but not right next to the man. The last thing he wanted to do was give him a heart attack. Given the way his heart was pounding it was possible.

"Superman," the man gasped. He looked around as if trying to find his pursuers.

"I already took out three of Ducard's men who were hunting you," Clark said in a deeper, more confident tone that Lex and Bruce had both assured him sounded absolutely nothing like his Dominus in Training voice. He wasn't sure he believed them about that. "Why were they after you? Who are you?"

"Ah, well, my name is Lucius Fox," he replied, looking a little stunned. "I assume that he wants me back because I know too much."

Clark cocked his head at Fox, going through his mental register of important people in the Houses in Gotham. He had to control a start when he realized that Lucius Fox was the person in charge of weapons development for House Wayne. That put a very different spin on Fox's escape and the men hunting him. Fox might know exactly what they had been trying to find out: what Ra's al Ghul was up to.

"Where were you going?" Clark asked, taking a step closer. Fox backed off a corresponding step so he didn't advance any further.

Fox looked around before answering, scanning not just the street they were on but the windows of the buildings and the roofs overhead for anyone watching them. When he turned back to Clark there was hope battling with fear in his eyes. He hesitated for a long moment before speaking, as if he was weighing what he could say safely. It reminded Clark of how everyone talked back in Smallville, always aware of the possibility of being overheard and destroyed if a secret slipped.

"I wanted to find Batman," Fox said in a low tone that Clark only heard because his hearing was so good. "I needed to see him."

"You know," Clark said, shrugging at Fox's start of surprise. "Don't you?"

"Know what?" Fox asked, the hope winning against the fear.

"What did you want from him? What can you do for him?" Clark asked, certain that Fox did know that Bruce was Batman from the way he was reacting. Fox had to know that Batman was the long-long Wayne heir, come to reclaim his position. It showed in his face, in the way his shoulders settled and he leaned towards Clark as if Clark was hope, light and justice after an eternity without them.

Fox looked around again, licking his lips. It was obvious that he didn't feel that he could say anything out in the open like this. Clark understood that entirely. Every House had monitors around their walls, though people watched few of them. Most were computerized. Add the monitors to Ducard's men following Fox and it simply wasn't safe for him to explain here.

Clark nodded and used his speed to go over, lift Fox in his arms and then take flight into the night sky. By the time Fox realized what had happened, they were already halfway to House Clark. It was easy to fly at his top speeds to the roof and then rush Fox down into their rooms where he'd be safe. Given all the work that Lex and Bruce had done to make sure that their suite was unmonitored, Fox should be safer there than anywhere other than in the Imperial Guard's arms. Possibly even safer.

"What?" Fox gasped. He clung to Clark for a moment, looking dizzy and disoriented.

"You'll be safe here," Clark said. "This is our hideout. Seriously, I need to know what you had to say to Batman. He's out there patrolling right now but I can find him and bring him back if it's important enough. We're trying to stop Ducard and Ra's al Ghul's men before they attack Gotham."

"That's what I needed to talk to him about," Fox said, shaking off his disorientation. "I worked with House Wayne's weapons program. There's a new weapon, plus a new drug on the streets, which pose a huge threat to the entire city. It's not just House Wayne that's going to be destroyed. It's everyone in the entire city. Earle's under pressure. House Luthor is pushing for a vote of confidence and Earle will lose it. Everyone knows that. He and Ducard have moved up the timetable on their attack. There's not much time left before they take everyone down."

Clark nodded, more than aware of all of that. They hadn't been able to find out the exact nature of the threat against Gotham but he was pretty confident that between his powers and Lex and Bruce's brains he had no doubt that they would be able to deal with it. All they needed was to know what Ducard's weapon looked like and what it did. They'd destroy the weapon, get Earle out of House Wayne and Bruce in, and then clean up the drugs on the street.

"I knew most of that," Clark said. "What does the weapon do?"

"It turns water into vapor," Fox explained. "Not a problem in itself but Ra's al Ghul's drug causes lethal levels of fear when it's administered in vapor form. They've been pumping the drug into the water system for months. Every single House in Gotham has that drug tainting their water supply. No one will be immune. They've entered every single house and spiked even the wells and ground water with it."

Clark started and stared at Fox. Lionel had created a drug that sounded very like what Fox described. When he'd tested it in Smallville a dozen people had died. Though Lionel had explained the deaths away as the results of an accidental explosion in the plant, everyone in Smallville knew that it wasn't anything like that. Bruce had held one of the victims as she died, having barely escaped from the plant with her life. She'd gone into a fear-induced coma and died when her heart gave out under the strain.

"Then… they use the weapon to turn the water in Gotham to gas and everyone goes mad and dies from fear," Clark breathed, horrified. "Do you know when they're going to move?"

"No," Fox sighed. "I was searching for the information in the computer system when Earle caught me. He had Ducard's men with him. I escaped when one of them was distracted by a call but I couldn't find anything else out. I'm kind of surprised I made it this far, honestly. I expected to be killed out of hand."

Clark nodded, listening for Bruce's heartbeat and Lex's. Lex was inbound in a flyer, muttering to himself about whatever progress he'd made in his political efforts. Bruce's heartbeat was steady and he was completely silent as he made his way through the Narrows along the rooftops. They both needed to hear this. No matter how grumpy Bruce was, he needed to know what the threat was. Lex needed to hear it too. He might have had access to the antidote to the drug, which would be very good. If so, they might be able to create enough antidote to negate Ducard's attack, though Clark doubted that they had the time for it.

"That sounds a lot like a fear drug that Lionel was developing in Smallville," Clark muttered as he tried to figure out where Bruce was in the Narrows from what he was hearing.

"It's related to it," Fox said with a confident nod. "Lionel Luthor was part of the project. He developed the drug and tested it on people in Smallville and House Wayne developed the weapon that would deliver the drug to everyone's systems."

"Earle knows about this?" Clark asked, shocked. "He's allowing it?"

Fox laughed bitterly. He shook his head no, but his expression said yes, Earle knew.

"It's not that he allowed it," Fox explained, disgust and horror in his voice. "He's one of the leaders of the plot. Earle works right underneath Ducard. He's a member of their group, one of Ra's al Ghul's followers. He laughed about it when I challenged him. He's proud of what he's doing. He kept bragging that they were going to destroy not only Gotham's Houses, but also all of the North American Houses, especially House O'Neill. I think he believes that al Ghul will become the next Emperor, and of course he'll get a special new post out of the whole thing."

Clark didn't allow himself to curse the way he wanted to. Yeah, Bruce needed to know this. The mess in House Wayne had to be far worse than they'd thought. It wasn't that Earle was a terrible steward, though he clearly was terrible at it. Earle didn't care if House Wayne failed. He had the promise of something else once Ducard's plans were put into motion and the Houses of Gotham were destroyed.

"All right, stay here," Clark told Fox. "The other person that we're working with is almost here. I have to go get Batman and bring him back so that he can talk to you too. We're a team, even though we don't publicly work together yet. You're safe as long as you stay put."

"Go," Fox said, nodding his understanding. "I'll be here. Thank you, Superman."

"You're welcome," Clark said.

He blurred out of the room and up the secret staircase. As he took off to get Bruce, Lex's flyer was approaching to land on the landing pad in the center of the house. Lex would take care of Fox while Clark got Bruce. There was so much that they had to do, so much that they needed to learn. If House Wayne truly was completely rotted from within, then getting Bruce's position back might not be as easy as they thought it was.

They could win the vote of confidence against Earle and end up with someone even more in Ra's al Ghul's pocket in charge of House Wayne if they weren't careful.

+++++

Lex bounded up the stairs and headed straight for Clark and Bruce's bedroom. If he were lucky, Bruce would be there. He didn't expect that Bruce would be. Given how pissy Bruce had been lately, Lex expected that he'd have to ask Clark to drag Bruce back home by the scruff of his neck for the talk that was hanging over their heads. Bruce had always been stubborn but Lex was absolutely determined that he was going to get out of his idiotic jealous funk in very short order, no matter what that took.

"You here?" Lex called as he entered the suite.

No one answered but there was a sound from the bedroom. Lex frowned and went in, frowning at the strange man staring back at him. It took a moment for Lex to register exactly who he was, which was all the time it took for Lucius Fox to recognize Lex. His jaw dropped open and he pointed at Lex as if stunned.

"I… didn't expect that they had allies as strong as you," Fox said.

"Who?" Lex asked.

"Superman and Batman," Fox explained. "I… I don't know. I suppose I assumed that they were backed by some other House, not yours."

"Back up and tell me exactly how you got here and what you're doing in this bedroom," Lex said. "Have you looked outside yet? Do you know where you are?"

Fox shook his head no, obviously a little stunned to have Lex talking to him. Lex really hoped that Fox hadn't looked outside of the bedroom and that he hadn't had the time to poke around. They still needed to protect Clark and Bruce's identities, even if Ducard did know exactly who they were. The Emperor would more than likely not be pleased with their activities, even if everything that Superman and Batman did helped to support his rule.

"I was caught investigating a weapons program that could destroy Gotham," Fox explained. "Earle is working with Ducard, with Ra's al Ghul. He's not trying to be elected Dominus. He wants to destroy House Wayne and all the other Houses in Gotham. They have a gas weapon that will drive everyone in Gotham mad with fear and then kill them."

"I thought the fear drug was destroyed!" Lex squawked and then nearly smacked his forehead in dismay. He shouldn't have admitted that he knew of it given that it had been one of his father's secret projects.

"No, they simply switched production to a different location," Fox said. "Between the drug that's been added to all the water supplies in Gotham and the weapon that Earle's developed, everyone in Gotham will die of fear once they act. Your efforts to force a vote of confidence have apparently moved the schedule up. Superman found me trying to escape and brought me here just a minute or so before you arrived."

Lex bit down on the urge to curse a blue streak. They'd been counting on Earle actually wanting to control House Wayne. If he was okay with destroying the House then they definitely needed to change their strategy, though one way or the other Earle had to go. Leaving Earle in charge of the House any longer would give them more problems to fix once Bruce was back in charge. Fox started to say something again but Lex held up a hand for him to be quiet while he thought.

They needed help, lots of help, very fast. This was a problem that went far beyond House politics because if Ducard's plans were to destroy all of Gotham's Houses then there was every likelihood that he was going to go after other cities and eventually after the Emperor. Lex nodded slowly as he paced across the bedroom, sorting possibilities, likely actions and reactions in his mind. This was the first move in a war to replace the Emperor and the House system with something else entirely. The sheer chaos that was going to occur if they didn't stop Ducard and al Ghul was nearly beyond his ability to imagine.

"Did you inform the Emperor or House O'Neill about what you found out?" Lex asked far too sharply, not that he tried to moderate his tone.

"No," Fox said, clearly startled by the tone of Lex's voice. "I didn't have time. I got the specs on the weapon but then I was captured. I'm very lucky that I managed to make it this far."

"It wasn't luck," Lex said. "Ducard's far too careful for that and I know House Wayne's security. You escaped because they wanted you to escape. For whatever reason, Ducard wants us to know what he's up to. He has a fascination with Batman and is playing some sort of game with him."

Fox nodded slowly, his expression showing that he was thinking over what had happened to him and putting the puzzle pieces together. "You're… right. You're absolutely right. There's no way I should have escaped. What now? Apparently we're playing into their hands just by talking this way."

It was the question of the night. Lex stopped pacing and stared at the wall. If they acted rashly, tried to find the weapon by themselves, they'd likely get caught or hurt doing it. On the other hand, if they did nothing other than what they were doing, Ducard had more time to act, which would be bad for everyone in Gotham and the world. Bruce would insist on hunting for the weapon and Clark would likely insist on finding out about the drug so that they could make antidote for everyone in the city.

None of that mattered in the final analysis.

It was all distraction, smoke and mirrors to keep them busy while Ducard and al Ghul carried out their plans. The three of them weren't strong enough to deal with this problem by themselves. There was no way to handle it discretely. What they needed was more power, more allies, and much more attention brought to the issue. Three people and their Houses couldn't stop al Ghul but hundreds of them could. If the Emperor's resources were brought to bear all of al Ghul's plans would be destroyed before he could put them into action.

As it stood, everything happening in Gotham was more or less contained there. Clark had made some contacts with the other younger Dominus but it wasn't something that they could rely on yet. When he got back though, Lex would have him call Oliver Queen and his friends. Not that that wasn't enough in Lex's opinion. They needed so much more than that, which meant doing the one thing that Bruce and Clark would absolutely never do.

"Hold that thought," Lex said to Fox. "I need to make a call."

Fox watched him somewhat warily as Lex found Clark's phone and dialed Teal'c's number. It was the only House O'Neill number on Clark's phone, so Teal'c was the one who was going to have the problem served to him on a silver platter. The phone range twice before Teal'c picked it up.

"This is Teal'c," Teal'c declared as if he expected it to be the Emperor himself.

"This is Dominus Lex Luthor," Lex said in what he hoped was a confident tone. He suspected that it came off much more rattled and urgent but it didn't really matter. "I need to talk to Dominus O'Neill. We've discovered a highly credible threat to the Empire, to Gotham, House Wayne and possibly to the Emperor's life."

"…I see. I shall be there shortly."

Teal'c hung up, which made Lex curse out loud. 'Shortly' was not what he needed, given the travel times between Gotham and Colorado Springs. What he needed was Jack O'Neill to get on the phone so that Lex could explain what they'd found out. Fox looked a little amused by Lex's cursing, but his hands were shaking badly enough that Lex knew it was just an act. He reined in his tongue, turned to Fox and then jumped back as a shimmer of green light swept through the room.

"I am here," Teal'c said in what had to be a deliberately impressive tone of voice, because Lex refused to admit that Teal'c truly was that intimidating all the time.

He stood next to the bed with the young woman who'd piloted Jack O'Neill's car by his side. She grinned and nodded at Lex. There were three guards behind them, all holding strange S-shaped weapons that were far beyond anything that Lex had seen before. Teal'c had a staff that looked downright alien in his hand. His expression was so calm that it made Lex want to yell at him for it.

"I have to admit, that's shortly," Lex said as he controlled his temper, worry and then stepped forward. "This is Lucius Fox. He's got information on a weapon that Ducard and Ra's al Ghul are apparently going to use to destroy Gotham. My father helped create part of it and I'll be damned if I let him get away with this."

"Tell me," Teal'c said, turning to Fox.

Fox gulped first but he did, giving Teal'c every detail that he could remember of the machine, what he'd seen and heard, plus Earle's gloating words. The zip drive that he'd used to download the design was gone, taken from him when he was captured, but Fox was able to sketch the machine out and explain how it worked in incredible detail. His reputation as a supreme weapons maker was apparently well deserved because he remembered most of the schematics and could sketch it from memory. Lex nodded as Fox explained what he'd found. That was very similar to the designs of a weapon that Lucas had been working on for Lionel until his talkative mouth had gotten him into trouble with their father.

"Very well," Teal'c said once Fox had told them everything he could. "This is a grave danger to the Empire. Dominus O'Neill will be notified and aid will be given to you."

"Thank goodness," Lex sighed.

"However," Teal'c continued with a stern look at Lex for interrupting, "Dominus O'Neill will want to speak to Superman personally. We will do our best to keep the discussions private, using our methodologies for travel. It would be best if Ra's al Ghul does not realize that House O'Neill is aware of the severity of this issue."

"That's… not going to go over well," Lex said reluctantly. "He's somewhat… terrified… of House O'Neill."

Teal'c nodded as if that was only to be expected, which of course it was given everything that had happened in Smallville. Fox looked confused, as if he didn't understand why Clark would have a problem talking to House O'Neill. Of course, Fox didn't seem to realize who Clark was. From the careful way he'd phrased his description of trying to find Batman, Lex thought that he had figured out who Bruce was. They could only hope that he didn't know where Bruce had been hiding until recently.

"We are aware of his issues in that regard," Teal'c said with a gracious incline of his head that managed to look almost regal. "I began training his personal slave specifically because Dominus O'Neill wanted to discretely reassure him that he was in no danger from House O'Neill. There are facts of which he is unaware."

"I don't suppose you could fill me in on what needs to be said," Lex asked even though he knew Teal'c would refuse. It was plain on his face.

"It is not my place to divulge such things," Teal'c said with a grave shake of his head. "It would be better of Superman spoke directly to Dominus O'Neill."

"And he's actually supposed to get something of substance out of the conversation?" Lex asked sarcastically. "I've spoken to Jack before. I know how he gets."

The young woman spluttered and then raised a hand to hide her grin. Behind her the guards were grinning openly as if they agreed with him. Teal'c sighed and made a little move with his shoulders that was somewhere between a tiny shrug and trying to work the tension out of his shoulder blades. His expression didn't change that much but Lex thought that he could detect a hint of humor in Teal'c's eyes and the ever so faint quirk of his lips.

"He can be… difficult at times," Teal'c allowed. The snickers from his team turned the quiet statement into a joke that had Lex snickering with them.

They all turned as the hidden door to the roof opened and Bruce stalked out with Clark on his heels. They both still had their masks on, which made Lex want to sigh with relief though he didn't let the reaction show. Bruce froze for one long instant and then went on guard when he saw who it was. Clark went so pale when he spotted Teal'c that Lex worried that he'd bolt or pass out.

"I called them," Lex said before anyone else could say a word. "We need their help. This is too big of a threat for just the three of us."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bruce growled in the darkest tone that Lex had heard yet. He looked like he wanted to kill Lex for exposing Clark to this risk.

"I do," Lex replied. "Hear Fox and Teal'c out. There's more going on than you're aware of at this time."

+++++

Bruce glowered at the warriors gearing up to raid one of the smallest Houses in Gotham. By rights, he shouldn't interfere. Raids were not illegal but all that this House had to offer were workers that did brute labor for other houses. It spoke of greed that the raiding House would rather enslave the workers they were currently paying wages to rather than continue to pay the fees.

He swung down into the midst of the warriors and used everything that Teal'c had taught him to take them down as painfully as possible. They shouted and attempted to fight him but none of them were a challenge for Bruce, despite their positions as warriors. Bruce had been trained by some of the best warriors alive and they clearly had received only the most basic levels of training before being let loose.

The House that had been about to be raided sent their people out to help seize the warriors once Bruce had downed the majority of them. It was a huge windfall for their House so Bruce didn't protest as the fallen warriors were bound and then forced into the House's cramped walls, despite his distaste for the whole thing. Having warriors would make them stronger and they could get a much higher wage for warrior slaves than for laborers.

"Well done," Ducard said from the shadows behind Bruce. "I had not thought that you would work to undermine the current system but blessing that House with warriors to defend themselves is an admirable choice. I approve."

"I didn't do it for those reasons," Bruce growled at Ducard.

"Perhaps not," Ducard replied.

He stepped out of the shadows and smirked at Bruce as if he was an approving father who had just watched his favorite son excel at a difficult task. The mental comparison made Bruce bristle even more than he had been; Ducard was nothing like his father and absolutely nothing like what Bruce wanted to be. Other warriors came out of the shadows behind Ducard, moving as though they were ninjas. Their plain black armor and straight swords added to the illusion though only until you looked closely. Automatic weapons hung from their belts, ready to be used on Bruce or anyone who dared to block Ducard's plans.

"Even so," Ducard continued, "you do work in similar directions to us. You would be a powerful addition to the League of Shadows, Batman. One last time I offer you the chance to join us and counsel you to think hard before you refuse. There is much at stake. I will not allow you to become my enemy."

"I'm already your enemy," Bruce replied. His voice came out in the darkest growl he'd ever heard from his own throat. "I will never support you or Ra's al Ghul. Gotham is mine and I will defend it against you, the Emperor and anyone who dares to disturb the peace in my city. Every House and every Houseless person here is mine to protect and care for."

Ducard made a little tsking noise while shaking his head sadly. He studied Bruce with his chin lowered ever so slightly. It was a pose that Teal'c had drummed into Bruce early on, one that protected the throat while giving nothing away before an attack. Bruce automatically went on the defensive when he saw the position, so he wasn't surprised when Ducard's sword abruptly swung at him from nowhere. He blocked with his forearms, intensely grateful for Lex's upgrades to his armor.

"You cannot win this battle," Ducard said as he attempted to slice Bruce into ribbons. "I am beyond your skill level."

He moved like Teal'c, like he'd trained in combat for a thousand years. Bruce took every lesson that he'd ever had and used them against Ducard, for all the good it did. Striking at Ducard was like attempting to hit smoke: he was there and then gone by the time Bruce moved. It took attacking one of Ducard's men and taking one of their swords to even the odds. Once he had a sword in his hands he had the reach to get at Ducard, not that he was very successful in connecting even then.

As they fought down the street, Bruce well aware of the people watching from the tightly shut Houses surrounding them, Bruce analyzed Ducard's fighting style. It was ancient, powerful but quite ancient. There were moves that he'd read of but never seen in person mixed in with more modern moves. Ducard fought as if he'd been fighting since swords were invented. In fact, he was obviously most comfortable fighting with a sword, which made sense given how good he was with it. Even with a matching sword Bruce was barely able to hold his own.

"They say Ra's al Ghul is immortal," Bruce panted while blocking a particularly vicious strike at his throat's armor.

"He is," Ducard said, his eyes nearly glowing with the intensity of his gaze. "He has always been and will always be."

"Let's see if it's true," Bruce snapped.

He used an idiot's move and charged into Ducard, who he abruptly realized had to be ancient to have mastered combat this thoroughly. Ducard managed to block the rush using a complicated maneuver that trapped Bruce's hands and nearly toppled him to the ground. One trick of Teal'c's was all that kept Bruce on his feet as they struggled against each other.

"You are Ra's al Ghul," Bruce murmured, panting into Ducard's face.

"Very good, Bruce," Ducard murmured back. He smiled that approving-father smile again. "I knew you were a good choice for the League. Now you have to join us or die."

"Never!" Bruce shouted.

He twisted violently and kicked, breaking free of Ducard's grip, which gained him just enough space to thrust his sword through Ducard's shoulder. It should have gone through his heart but Ducard, Ra's al Ghul, saw the strike coming and twisted just enough to save his life. As Ra's fell backwards his men surged forwards at Bruce, shouting war cries and brandishing their weapons. Bruce tried to stay with Ra's, tried to kill him, but the others shoved him back and away. As Bruce struggled against them, he saw Ra's being carried away by his men.

"Let him go!"

The shout from above made Ra's' men look up, which gave Bruce a chance to take down the three who were closest to him. Master Clark dove into the battle, sending Ra's' men flying with his fists and feet. His heat vision melted several weapons. In a matter of seconds the battle was over, leaving Bruce infuriated, panting and nursing what felt like several dozen bruises and small cuts that he hadn't felt during the rush of battle.

"No yelling," Master Clark murmured to him. "There's someone back home that you have to talk to. He has information on what Ducard and Ra's al Ghul are really up to."

"Ducard _is_ Ra's al Ghul," Bruce growled. "I almost had him. I could still catch him."

"His men would still kill Gotham even if you did catch him," Master Clark said. He caught Bruce's shoulder so that he couldn't look away. "I know how he's going to destroy Gotham and we don't have much time to stop him, Batman. We have to act quickly."

Bruce bit back the urge to curse at Master Clark, at Superman, at Ducard, at Gotham, at the entire damned world. He wanted nothing more than to chase Ra's to ground and end his life right that second but already too much time had passed for that. Despite with his growing familiarity with the ins and outs of Gotham's complicated streets and walls, Bruce knew couldn't catch up as Ra's had much better knowledge of the city. Besides Ra's was too well protected at the moment.

"Fine, let's go," Bruce said grudgingly.

"I'm flying us there," Master Clark said, just enough hesitancy in the eyes behind his domino mask to make Bruce smirk at him.

"Don't drop me," Bruce growled more for the watching people than for Master Clark, though watching Master Clark's cheeks go beet red actually made him feel somewhat better about the whole situation.

"I won't," Master Clark promised.

They took to the air, Bruce clinging to Master Clark's hands as they flew across town far more quickly than Bruce has expected. Master Clark seemed to be in a hurry but at least he hadn't picked Bruce up like a little boy. That would have been considerably more than Bruce's temper could deal with right now. In less than a minute they were landing on top of House Clark and slipping into the secret door beside the roof vent.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked as they went down the stairs to their suite.

"I found Lucius Fox escaping from Wayne territory," Master Clark said with worry in his voice that matched his hurried steps. "He knows what al Ghul is up to, the technology that he's going to use to destroy Gotham. More importantly," Master Clark paused before opening the door at the base of the stairs, "I think he knows who you are. I didn't get the feeling he knew me or Lex but he has figured out who you are."

"He knew me as a boy," Bruce murmured. "I have no doubt that he figured it out. Lucius was always brilliant and he was very close to my parents. He visited with me practically every day."

He pushed past Master Clark and headed into the bedroom. To his surprise the room was full of people. House O'Neill guards surrounded Lex and Lucius, most of them obviously on their guard. Teal'c turned and studied them with that assessing look that Bruce knew far too well from combat training. For two entirely too long seconds he wondered if it was safe to go on the alert because Teal'c would read his moves and know them, but he realized that if they were there then House O'Neill must already have figured it out. He went on guard, keeping Clark from entering the room.

"I called them," Lex said before anyone else could say a word. "We need their help. This is too big of a threat for just the three of us."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bruce growled at Lex. The urge to beat Lex into the ground for exposing Master Clark to this danger was so strong that he barely kept control of himself. Master Clark's little whimper behind Bruce didn't help.

"I do," Lex replied. "Hear Fox and Teal'c out. There's more going on than you're aware of at this time."

"House O'Neill will provide whatever troops and help is necessary to stop Ra's al Ghul," Teal'c said in his characteristic somber way. "However, Dominus O'Neill wishes to speak to Superman directly."

He looked past Bruce at Master Clark and bowed far more deeply than Bruce had ever seen him do before. It was nearly a bow to royalty it was so deep. Bruce stayed between Teal'c and Master Clark, unwilling to let anything get near Master Clark if he could help it. There was little that Bruce could do to stop Teal'c and his warriors if Teal'c truly wanted to go through Bruce but hopefully Teal'c would take it as the warning that it was.

"Kal-El," Teal'c said, "there is much about your heritage that you do not know. My master sent me to your home to attempt to reassure you that you had nothing to fear from House O'Neill. Dominus O'Neill has known of you since your arrival here. He has never seen any reason to interfere in your life as you seem to be a good and honorable person."

"Uh, thank you," Master Clark said in a voice that made him sound much younger than his years. His hand rested on Bruce's shoulder, very gently pushing him aside so that he could enter the room. Once he was inside and the secret door was shut, Teal'c smiled his Buddha smile at Master Clark and Bruce.

"I have been authorized to say to you that Dominus O'Neill hopes to arrange an alliance with your House once the threat is over," Teal'c continued. "It is his hope to arrange an alliance with your House as well, Batman."

"We'll talk about it," Bruce said. "We need to review the information that Lucius Fox has for us before we can decide anything."

"Understood," Teal'c said. "Call us and we shall return immediately. To keep Master Fox safe, we will take him with us. He will be returned to House Wayne once the current situation has been resolved. Please do not hesitate to call if there are any questions that we can answer. House O'Neill hopes to be allies to all of your Houses, as well as to you individually."

"Thank you," Master Clark said, still in that too young voice.

Teal'c nodded to Alicia and she gestured for Lucius to come closer. Once he was in the middle of the group of O'Neill warriors Alicia nodded at Teal'c that she was ready. He bowed to them again, smiling his millimeter smile.

"We will provide a transcript of our discussions and drawings of the device Ra's al Ghul intends to use once Master Fox has completed them," Teal'c said.

"Just so you know," Bruce said before they could disappear, "I believe that Ducard is Ra's al Ghul."

"Indeed," Teal'c said with one eyebrow rising nearly to the gold mark on his forehead. "I shall inform Dominus O'Neill of that."

He nodded to Alicia and the whole group disappeared in a flash of green light. Master Clark let out a long sigh and stared at Lex and Bruce with wide eyes. Bruce stood for a long moment, unsure where to go next or what to do. Too many things needed to be done for him to sort them out, which he knew as a sure sign that he was over-tired and needed to sleep.

"Okay," Lex said, "let's get you bandaged up, Bruce. We need to talk about all of this but it can wait until you're not bleeding all over the floor."

"I'm…" Bruce looked down at the floor and almost laughed. He was dripping blood from more places than he'd realized. "I guess I'm not fine."

"No, you're not," Master Clark said. "We can't have the new Dominus of House Wayne show up looking like he's been cut to ribbons. Out of the armor so we can take care of you."

"I expect details while you're doing the bandaging," Bruce growled at him. His cheeks were red when he pulled off his cowl. Bruce found he couldn't quite believe that he ever would get his position back, but Lex and Master Clark's certainty about it helped.

"Lots," Lex promised. "Make with the stripping before we do it for you."

Bruce snorted, stripping his armor off. A smile stretched his lips for what felt like the first time in decades. Ra's al Ghul may still be free with his plan ready to put into action but Bruce had won the battle between them, even if it had been mostly by luck. Maybe with House O'Neill's help they could actually give Bruce his House back and save Gotham from it's impending doom.

In the private dark places of his mind, Bruce thought that maybe all his worries about losing Master Clark had been pointless. The looks that Master Clark and Lex were giving him made him think that he might have been an idiot over nothing for the last several days.

+++++

"Damn it, I can't believe that Lionel continued those experiments," Bruce growled as Lex bandaged the last of his cuts and bruises.

"Neither can I," Lex grumbled. "I was told that it was over, that they weren't going to do anything like that ever again. My searches in the computer system seemed to indicate that they had disbanded it."

"Obviously they transferred it to Gotham instead," Bruce said.

Master Clark hadn't said a single word since Teal'c left with Alicia and the others from House O'Neill. Every single bandage wrapper and stained cloth had been whisked away, Master Clark working as silently and efficiently as if he were the slave instead of Bruce. The full briefing on what Lex had learned from Lucius was over and Bruce was blackly angry that he hadn't managed to kill or capture Ra's al Ghul.

"We need to get that vote of confidence as quickly as possible," Lex said, his eyes focused on the box of first aid supplies he'd been using instead of Master Clark or Bruce. "Getting Earle out is an even higher priority than it was. I think we can do it in a couple of days, though I doubt that we can manage sooner than that. Protocols still have to be observed, unfortunately, or he'll contest it and drag things out until it's too late."

"Agreed," Bruce said. "The last thing I want is for him to destroy House Wayne before I can get back to it.

He took his tunic from Master Clark, pulling it on while his mind alternated between raging about al Ghul and fretting about House Wayne's people being under Earle's thumb. There had to be something that they could do right away, something that would protect his people and stop the destruction that was coming. As he settled the tunic and made sure his collar and cuffs were oriented properly, Bruce realized that Master Clark wasn't just quiet, he was shaking.

"Master?" Bruce asked, snapped out of his rage by the paleness of Master Clark's face.

"Clark?" Lex asked as he dropped the kit and went to take Master Clark's arm. "Are you all right?"

"He wants to talk to me," Master Clark whispered, the shaking intensifying so badly that Bruce moved to grab his other arm. "Dominus O'Neill wants to talk to me. I have to, have to…"

Bruce and Lex both caught Master Clark as he abruptly collapsed. They maneuvered him to the bed, Lex trying to calm Master Clark down. Instead of petting Master Clark or trying to soothe him with words Bruce pulled him into his arms and held him as though he was the little boy that Bruce had met so many years ago. It worked better than Lex's words as Master Clark's shaking slowly stilled and he leaned into Bruce's shoulder with a tired sigh while clutching Bruce's tunic in one hand. Lex frowned, looking at Bruce with a question in his eyes.

"Panic attacks?"

"He's gotten them since he was tiny," Bruce said with a confirming nod. "They've gotten better over the years but he still gets them from time to time."

"Usually when it has something to do with being found out by House O'Neill," Master Clark murmured. "Sorry. I tried not to but it just…"

"Don't apologize," Bruce said at the same time as Lex, which made Master Clark laugh quietly.

"You have every reason to panic over that," Lex continued for them both. "I don't think it will be as much of a problem as it seems though. Teal'c seemed to imply that they've know about you all along."

"I think they might know more about me than I do," Master Clark said, pulling free of Bruce's arms to sit up. "I've never even heard of the name Kal-El before abut he seemed to think that it was my name."

He kept his hand wrapped in Bruce's tunic as if he were afraid that Bruce would bolt the instant he let go. Given his behavior over the last few days it was a justified concern but there was no way that Bruce would leave with Master Clark in this condition. Bruce rubbed Master Clark's back and he smiled shakily at both of them. It was an obvious attempt to make them think that he was okay that Bruce knew better than to fall for and Lex obviously didn't believe either.

"Get on that bed, both of you," Lex ordered.

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him but Lex just pointed as if he were the Emperor. The fierce look on Lex's face made Master Clark laugh breathlessly. He shrugged at Bruce and kicked off his slippers before scooting up the bed to rest against the pillows stacked at the headboard. After a second stabbing finger from Lex, Bruce snorted and grabbed his wrist, tugging Lex onto the bed with them.

"Fine, follow me onto the bed then," Lex huffed. "Stubborn man."

"Always has been," Master Clark laughed.

"You will get over here," Lex said to Bruce in just impatient enough tone of voice to make it clear he was getting frustrated and was about to either yell or stomp out of the room, "take our clothes off and fuck Clark silly while he fucks me. What's so hard about this?"

"Wounds?" Bruce drawled while shucking off his leggings and underwear so that he could crawl up the bed at the two of them as though he was a lion stalking his prey. "I may not be up to something quite that energetic."

Lex licked his lips, already pulling his clothes off with Master Clark's eager assistance. After a moment of struggling, Master Clark pushed Lex's hands out of the way and used super speed to strip both of them, get the lube, a couple of small towels, the soft leather cuffs that Lex loved best and come back to the bed hard and ready for both of them.

The cuffs were a clear indicator of what Master Clark needed. He only pulled them out when he wanted to give up all control of the situation. Lex looked at them and shuddered as he held out his wrists. As he watched the two of them, Bruce smiled to himself. If they had been doing it to try and make him feel better he would have refused and made them set the cuffs aside but it was obvious from both of their reactions that this was what they wanted and needed.

"You know," Lex said with a hitch in his voice as Master Clark wrapped the cuffs around his wrists and hooked them together, "in two days you're going to be Lord Bruce Wayne. I think we should celebrate that."

"Isn't that jumping the gun?" Bruce chuckled. "There's no guarantee I'll get the Lordship."

"I don't think so," Master Clark said. "You'll get it. I think it's overdue."

Master Clark grinned and started lubing Lex, so Bruce took the lube and set to work on Master Clark. It didn't take very long as none of them were in the mood to wait much longer for sex. After the battle and all the surprises that they'd had today, Bruce was more interested in burning off the excess energy than it being tender and gentle with Master Clark. Lex seemed just as impatient as Bruce because he panted and cursed at Master Clark, urging him to hurry up.

"Get in him," Bruce growled. "Now. I want to see you take him hard."

"Oh God," Master Clark moaned in unison with Lex.

They shifted position so that Master Clark could do exactly that. The way that Lex groaned had Bruce gripping his cock to keep himself from coming right away. He truly was far too turned on, though having them follow his orders this way made it hard for him to respond any other way.

"Don't move," Bruce snapped once Master Clark bottomed out.

That frission of arousal peaked as both Master Clark and Lex followed his order. He smiled at them, luxuriating in the sensation of complete control after losing Ra's. It was more than that of course. When Master Clark had one of his panic attacks he enjoyed being ordered around more than normal and Lex seemed to take it well, whining deep in his throat as he stayed perfectly still, impaled on Master Clark's cock.

Bruce ran his fingers over Lex's scalp and down his back to drag them up Master Clark's stomach to his nipples. The pinch made Master Clark gasp and buck his hips. He got a smack on the butt for the unauthorized movement, which hurt Bruce's hand much more than it did Master Clark but that was normal. It made Lex start cursing under his breath and jerk his wrists apart as if to get free from the cuffs.

"You said you wanted to celebrate my being Lord," Bruce purred at the two of them. "Well, this is what I want for my celebration. You do what I want, not what you want. Will you give that to me?"

"Yeah," Master Clark said, though it was more like a gulp and a gasp for air. His hands were trembling on Lex's hips. "Oh yeah."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Lex whimpered. "Damn it, Bruce!"

"Is he getting harder inside of you?" Bruce asked as he slid his fingers into Master Clark's ass and ran them over the structure inside that was similar to a prostate.

"Fuck!" Lex gasped. "Oh hell…!"

Bruce chuckled and continued to finger that spot. "Bring those hands up, Clark. Put them on your head."

It felt so wrong to use Master Clark's unadorned name even though Master Clark responded instantly. That left Lex connected to him only by his cock. Lex shuddered and rocked his hips. Bruce nodded, though neither of them could see it as Master Clark's eyes were shut as he whispered prayers or curses mingled with Bruce's name and Lex had his face buried in the blankets between his bound arms.

"Fuck yourself on his cock, Lex," Bruce said. "Take it hard and fast. Pound yourself on him."

"Oh thank God," Lex groaned. "Finally!"

"Bruce…" Master Clark whined.

"No moving," Bruce told him. "Stay still and let us use your body as we choose."

Lex started pounding back against Master Clark's cock, fucking himself harder than either of them would have dared. Every thrust had Master Clark whimpering, especially once Bruce shifted around and slid into his ass. The heat and tightness was almost more than Bruce could bear so he focused on pinching Master Clark's nipples and biting that invulnerable shoulder hard enough to make his teeth ache.

"Bruce!" Master Clark gasped. "I can't…!"

"Not yet," Bruce growled in his ear. "Not until Lex has what he wants from you. Hold on until Lex is ready."

"Oh fuck," Lex panted, thrusting harder and faster. "Not… going to… take much…!"

Bruce grinned and brought one palm down hard on Lex's ass, startling him out of his rhythm and inspiring a shout that filled the bedroom. It took a second for Lex to get going again. Once he was going good Bruce brought a hand down on the opposite cheek, which made Lex curse at him and thrust twice as hard against Master Clark's cock.

"Dirty, rotten, cheating, over-controlling bastard," Lex growled after the third smack.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Bruce laughed.

Master Clark was whimpering nonstop, his hips thrusting forward towards Lex and back against Bruce's cock in what had to be completely involuntary movement. Bruce smiled and pinched his nipples again, letting Lex keep the rhythm and speed he needed to reach climax. When Lex shouted and came, Bruce pinched Master Clark's nipples as hard as he could.

"Now," Bruce growled in his ear, thrusting hard into Master Clark's ass.

Master Clark's fingers spasmed on the back of his head as he came so hard that his whole body went tense. Bruce shuddered at the sudden increase in pressure on his cock, coming just as hard as Master Clark and Lex had. After a moment Bruce nudged Lex who pulled away to flop on the bed panting. Bruce pulled Master Clark's hands away and eased him down between them.

"I got it," Lex said when Bruce moved to get the towels for cleanup.

"Want me to take those off?" Bruce asked Lex with a nod at the cuffs which were still hooked together.

"No," Lex said. He smirked but a blush bloomed across his cheeks. "I… don't."

"Pervert," Bruce chuckled fondly. "A Lord who likes playing slave. You miss being our concubine, don't you?"

"Maybe a little," Lex said as he shrugged one shoulder in a gesture that wasn't as casual as it could have been. "It's… intense."

Bruce lay back and let Lex clean him up, smiling as Master Clark murmured something blurry and incoherent while petting Lex when it was his turn. Once that was done Bruce had Lex lay down and cuddle Master Clark. They lay together, Bruce listening to their breathing and thinking.

Maybe things would go wrong but if their plans worked out very soon he would be free again. He'd be truly free: free to be Bruce Wayne, free to take care of his House and free to court both Master Clark and Lex.

"I need to stop calling you Master, don't I?" Bruce murmured.

"Would be good," Master Clark said, nuzzling Bruce's cheek lovingly. "I'd hate for you to make a mistake later."

"I think everyone around here thinks that you use it strictly for emphasis," Lex agreed. "No one thinks that you're very slave-like."

Bruce snorted as he pushed up on one elbow. _Clark_ looked back at him with love in his sleepy eyes. They had been master and slave for most of Bruce's life, all of Clark's memory but he looked as though he was perfectly ready to let that go. Oddly, Bruce found it hard to let go of that aspect of their relationship. So many things changed between the three of them if Bruce wasn't a slave anymore.

"We'll work it out," Clark whispered. He ran a finger along Bruce's jawline so gently that Bruce barely felt the heat of his skin. "We'll figure out how to make it work because I'm never, ever letting you go. You promised you'd never leave me, that you'd stay and be mine forever."

"You remember that?" Bruce asked, stunned. "You were four years old."

"Of course I remember," Clark said, blushing at the way Lex chuckled at them. "I could never forget that. I got my greatest dream that day. No matter what's happened since I've always been glad that you're part of my life, Bruce. I don't ever want to lose you, no matter what changes for the three of us."

"And you promised to marry me," Lex declared in his spoiled concubine voice, though there was just enough nervousness in his eyes to let Bruce know that he was as insecure about how this would all work as Bruce. "I'm holding you to that."

Bruce laughed as he shook his head at the two of them. Yeah, he had been an idiot for the last few days. At least Clark and Lex were as stubborn as Bruce was so that they hung on until they could get through to Bruce. Rather than say anything Bruce smiled at them and hooked a finger through the linked cuffs on Lex's wrists.

"I think we need another round," Bruce said, smirking at them. "I'm going to have to get a second set of cuffs though. Hooking the two of you together might be a great deal of fun."

Both Clark and Lex groaned as if he'd just offered them the best thing ever. Bruce smiled and got up to find the other set of cuffs. Yes, he'd been an idiot but fortunately he had Lex and Clark to keep him from getting too obsessed with his vengeance. Once they were fucked out he'd think about al Ghul and House O'Neill. Until then, they deserved his full attention.

 

+++++

The next morning came far earlier for Clark than it did for Lex and Bruce. It was strange but as he aged Clark seemed to need less and less sleep. When he was a little boy he'd wanted to sleep for twelve hours a day and been grumpy every morning when Bruce made him get up. But the hours he needed to function had slowly dropped until now he only needed four or five hours of sleep a night, even after battles the day before and some of the best sex he'd ever had last night.

Clark eased out of bed and pulled on pants and a tunic. Practically no one was awake other than a few guards on the walls who looked at him as though they were trying to figure out what he was doing there. They nodded and relaxed when Clark murmured 'insomnia', letting him wander across the walls, down the stairs and into the House again without comment. Bruce and Lex's heartbeats were like anchors in his ears, keeping him grounded and secure despite the worry and fear that threatened to flame into another panic attack.

He'd spent so long being terrified of House O'Neill finding out that discovering they had always known was almost incomprehensible.

The library was dark and silent, not a single person around. None of the books were useful to him as he'd already read every single one but the small room with its many books was comforting. He'd always like learning, had always absorbed knowledge like a sponge. Mom had said that he was a genius, gifted in more than his physical strength and speed but Clark had to wonder if there was more to it.

"Kal-El," Clark whispered while standing next to the window and staring blindly out at the dark street beyond with its slowly rising mist. "Why does that seem so familiar?"

He was sure that he'd never heard the name before but something deep within him told him that it was a lie. That single name had struck such a cord within him, calling up dim, faded memories of arms wrapped around him, warmth protecting him against the cool air, and the rumble of voices he knew but did not understand.

"Who is Kal-El?" Clark murmured.

The armored glass of the window felt faintly cool to him, which meant that to anyone else it would have prompted a shiver. For once Clark didn't shiver as he'd been told he should, didn't respond like everyone else did. He let his forehead rest against the glass, enjoying the cold that he was pretty sure he wouldn't feel in a few years. His sensitivity to heat and cold had dropped along with his need for sleep.

"I guess," Clark mused in a hushed whisper because you never knew if there was a bug in your vicinity, "the real question is _what_ is Kal-El?"

Despite everything that was coming at them, despite the promise of aid from House O'Neill, Clark really didn't want to know. Bruce and Lex had argued about it in sleepy, worried tones after they'd gotten done having sex. They'd stayed tangled together while arguing about it in a nest of sticky heat and awkwardly positioned limbs from the cuffs still wrapped around his and Lex's wrists. Neither Bruce nor Lex were completely certain that House O'Neill could be trusted, not with Clark's safety though they seemed perfectly willing to risk their own safety.

Clark pushed away from the window and continued wandering the house. All the outer doors were locked, as were the front gates. The well was secure, though Clark got a strange look from the early morning cook when he wandered through to check that the food stores were locked up tight. A quiet explanation of bad dreams and insomnia won Clark a smile, a pat on his shoulder and a cookie to munch on during his rambles.

The slaves' quarters were quiet when Clark poked his head in, as were the warrior's quarters. Several warriors poked their heads up, eyeing him as if they expected action. They quieted when Clark waved to them and shrugged. He doubted that they'd get back to sleep right away but it wasn't the first time that 'insomnia' had claimed him so none of them got up to follow him around.

The roof was cool and damp from the mist that was rapidly congealing into a thick fog. Overhead Clark couldn't see any stars, not that he expected to. Gotham wasn't as bright as Metropolis but the night was still too bright to see stars the way he had in Smallville. All his life he'd wondered where he came from, why he was different from the other mutants in Smallville. Where they had one power only, Clark had so many and he was vulnerable to the meteorites when no one else was.

Teal'c had said that House O'Neill had known of him since 'his arrival here'. As Clark stared at the invisible stars overhead he wondered if maybe he'd come from somewhere much more distant than Metropolis or Gotham or even Florida the way Bruce had speculated once while Clark was sunbathing in the nude. What if that arrival was from the stars he'd always been fascinated by? What if he wasn't anything that he had thought that he was? He couldn't even think that he wasn't human because would an alien be able to love Bruce and Lex? Would an alien be able to stay with them?

This time Clark shivered though not from the cold. He couldn't bear to lose Bruce and Lex.

Below him they slept on, wrapped around each other. Instead of waking them up or calling his parents to get their opinions on what he should do, Clark ate the last bite of cookie and took to the air. He'd gotten much better at flying, much faster, over the last few weeks since they'd come to Gotham. Using his powers to help people had made a huge difference in Clark's control. He'd flown over Colorado Springs several times with his grandfather in borrowed cars so Clark knew how to find it from the air even though this was the first time he'd flown there on his own. Clark flew as fast as he could, not wanting to drag this out any longer than he had to.

When he got there, Clark hovered in midair several thousand feet up, unsure what to do. Colorado Springs was a multi-house city, not like Metropolis or Gotham where many tiny Houses lived under the shadow of one overpowering House, but one where several powerful Houses coexisted together, rubbing elbows and knees around a central Houseless zone that bustled with life, light and action. Clark wasn't sure where to go next, at least until a slim form zipped up from one of the compounds and hovered in front of him.

"James?" Clark gasped, staring at one of the mutants who'd been taken by House O'Neill years ago.

"Hey Clark," James said with the same old ready grin and wry expression. His insect-like wings buzzed in the air, supporting him effortlessly. "Jack said you might be coming in but we didn't expect it in the middle of the night."

"Couldn't sleep for thinking about it," Clark admitted. "Um, is he available?"

"Sure thing," James laughed. "He's up. Hasn't gone to bed yet what with all the planning for how to help you guys. You always did have a talent for stepping in it."

When Clark snorted and rolled his eyes James laughed and gestured for Clark to follow him. They flew down, landing next to a big building that looked like nothing more than a warehouse. Once they stepped inside Clark gasped, staring around him in awe. James folded his wings away and tugged Clark along through racks full of trade goods and devices that literally looked like they came from another world.

James took him through the warehouse, down an elevator and into underground bunkers that were set up as offices that were filled with scientists and living quarters that looked quite comfortable. Despite his worries, Clark craned his neck and peered in the rooms, wondering what was going on here. This wasn't at all what he'd expected out of House O'Neill.

"Hey, Clark," Jack said cheerfully when James nudged him into a conference room with a huge, complicated display board that seemed to be charting out start systems instead of something more earthly. "Didn't expect to see you so soon."

"I couldn't sleep," Clark admitted, laughing a little when Jack poured him some coffee and passed it over.

"Your partners know you're here?" Jack asked. The question seemed casual but it obviously wasn't, especially give the way the personal slave with the sloppy hair and glasses studied Clark.

"No, actually they don't," Clark said while fiddling with the mug of coffee. "Neither do my parents or my grandfather. I couldn't… I had to talk to you."

"Why?" the personal slave asked with his head cocked to the side.

"Daniel." Jack's sigh was gently scolding, as if he didn't have the heart to really chastise his slave for being too forward or as if it happened all the time.

"I'm curious," Daniel protested.

"The name 'Kal-El'," Clark said. He shuddered as the faint memories welled up again. "It's… I don't know it but I do. There's something in my memory, back from before I can remember. It means something to me but I don't know what. I had to, had to… had to find out more, no matter what the consequences are."

Jack and Daniel studied him with nearly identical worried frowns. It was impossible not to fidget under their combined gazes but Clark did his best not to let them get to him. He really wasn't sure why he'd flown off without telling anyone but he knew that the name was vital, that it was a part of who he was, where he was from. He needed to know whatever they could tell him.

"Okay." Jack seemed to see something in Clark because he nodded and took the mug of coffee away before Clark could crush it. Daniel scooped it up to drink which made Jack snort and wag a finger at him. "That better not be number ten, Daniel."

"Only nine," Daniel murmured with red-stained cheeks. He still sipped the coffee as if it was his life's blood.

"No more coffee tonight," Jack told him. He sighed and rolled his eyes at Daniel's wordless grumble. "Come on, kid. Got something to show you that should make sense of a few things."

This time they went down the hall to another elevator, Daniel trailing behind them with his coffee, and went down about ten stories. By the time they reached the bottom Clark was getting seriously twitchy. They were far enough underground that he couldn't hear Bruce and Lex's heartbeats without straining. Once they entered a storeroom at the far end of the hallway Clark nearly forgot about them.

There was a tiny spaceship sitting in the middle of the room.

"That's…"

"Yours," Jack said entirely too calmly. "You came to Earth in that spaceship fourteen years ago. We didn't realize there was a starship in the middle of the meteor shower until after you'd landed but we were on hand pretty much immediately for the cleanup. By the time we found this, you'd already been taken in by the Kents. Seemed like you were safe and happy and none of really knew what damage a two-year-old could cause so we left you there. Wasn't until much later that we found out about your powers and the mutations the meteorite causes. I still kind of regret that we didn't do more at the time but there didn't seem to be any harm in leaving the meteorites in Smallville. They were just rocks, you know?"

"I'm an alien," Clark whispered. Neither of them stopped him from touching the nose of the ship.

"So is Teal'c," Daniel offered quietly. "Different race but he's an alien too. It's part of why he's so much stronger and better at fighting than the rest of the world. He's much older than he looks."

"What… why am I here?" Clark asked. "What happened? Why would my people send me away to a completely different world?"

Jack sighed and Daniel looked away as if he couldn't bear to meet Clark's eyes. The little spaceship hummed under his fingers, warm and alive in a way that didn't seem at all like a machine. It felt more like it was alive and very familiar. Clark thought that he knew the ship, knew it personally, though he hadn't seen it before in his memory. The instant he thought it he wanted to laugh. Of course he knew the ship; he must have spent a lot of time in it traveling from his homeworld to Earth.

"Come on," Jack said sadly. "This is the part I haven't been looking forward to."

He led Clark away from the spaceship that felt like a part of his soul, chattering about something called a Stargate and the ancient races that had created it millions of years ago. They headed back upstairs, pausing to let Clark see the Stargate in all its alien glory before continuing onwards to the surface. Daniel stayed behind to supervise the preparations for Gotham while Jack led him to the Dominus' quarters.

"I kept this stuff close once we decoded the messages in the ship," Jack admitted as he passed an advanced tablet computer over to Clark. "It's like the Stargate, too important to share widely. Even the Emperor doesn't know all of this. Didn't see that it was any of his business, really. He doesn't need to know about your infancy or your homeworld."

Clark scanned through the information, plopping back onto a chair that Jack must have deliberately arranged to be behind him. Krypton, Jor-El, _Lara,_ and her name made his heart hurt with loss and love, all of it was there. Everything that he had been, everything that he was supposed to be, along with notations about viruses that had infected the AI in the spaceship and possible master systems buried somewhere on Earth.

"This…" Clark couldn't find anything to say once he'd scanned it all so he offered the tablet back to Jack.

"Keep it," Jack said far too kindly for the pain and loss in his eyes. "Take your time. Read it over, share it with your parents, Bruce and Lex. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know exactly who Batman is. Not a big deal. The only thing I need to know is what you're going to do with all this, the knowledge and your allies."

"I… I need to think about all of this," Clark admitted as he hugged the tablet to his chest. It felt like the most precious thing he'd ever gotten in his life, other than Bruce and Lex. "I don't know."

"Empower your House?" Jack asked as if he assumed that was the logical answer. "You could join up with us. We'd be glad to have someone with your powers and heritage. Kryptonians are still highly regarded out there in the galaxy. You could do both our houses a lot of good if you did."

"No, I don't think so," Clark said thoughtfully. "Um, not to be rude but… I… well, there are a lot of problems in the world. The House system fails so many people. I'd rather work to protect the Houseless, take care of problems that no one else can, deal with the disasters that span many Houses. I… I want to protect everyone, not just my House. Bruce, Lex and I have talked about it already. We can't act openly to stop some abuses as Lords but as Superman and Batman we can do things that no one else can. It's not exactly legal but…"

"It's not exactly illegal either," Jack nodded and chuckled. "Well, think about, kid. I meant it when I had Teal'c offer an alliance. I think that you three are going to be powerful influences for good in the world and I'd like to have you guys on our side. We're already protecting the world from aliens who want to destroy us or enslave us. It'll be good to have someone here on Earth handling the other stuff House O'Neill can't always respond to."

"Lionel," Clark said with a wry grin that Jack echoed.

"Ra's al Ghul," Jack agreed. "Hell, those stupid house raids. I can't do a thing about those, much as I'd like to."

"We can," Clark said, the grin stretching into something far more real.

"Very true." Jack stood and headed for the balcony door. "You better get home, kid. Wouldn't do for Bruce and Lex to wake up without you there."

Clark took a deep breath and stood. He offered a hand to Jack, sort of stunned that he'd done so after spending his entire life afraid of the man. Jack looked at it, looked at Clark with his eyes wrinkling in a smile that wasn't quite a smile and which seemed twice as genuine because of it.

"Thank you," Clark said. "Thank you for letting me grow up with my parents. Thank you for holding all of this stuff safe for me. Thank you for stopping Lionel and protecting Lex. Thank you for protecting the world. Thank you for training Bruce. Just… thank you."

"You're welcome," Jack said, his voice suspiciously gruff as he shook Clark's hand and then pushed him out onto the balcony. "Now get out of here. Go take care of things in Gotham and holler when you need help."

Clark nodded and flew away, heading straight towards Gotham where Bruce and Lex still lay sleeping. They were going to yell at him so badly when they found out what he'd done, as would Mom and Dad but at that moment Clark didn't care. The tablet computer clutched to his chest had so much that he'd needed to know. It was worth the risk he'd taken to find out who he was, where he was from, and to discover that he never needed to be afraid of House O'Neill again.

+++++

"I cannot believe you did that," Lex complained for what he knew had to be the million and first time since he'd woken up to find Clark staring at a far too advanced to be anything other than House O'Neill work tablet computer.

"I needed to know," Clark whined with such a defensive hunch to his shoulders as he re-read the information on the table that Bruce glared at Lex. "I know it was stupid. I knew it at the time but I needed to know. Besides, why do you guys get to protect me and I don't get to protect you? My secret, my past, my problem to deal with. That's how it works."

"In exactly the same way that my brooding over Ra's al Ghul and House Wayne the last few days was my thing to deal with," Bruce drawled while putting away the last of the laundry. Lex figured that he was doing busy work to keep from yelling at Clark the way Lex had been.

Clark glared at Bruce, every inch a pissed off Dominus. "That's different. I didn't brood about it endlessly. I just did it and then came home to tell you about all of it. We're not joined at the hip, Bruce. We're allies and friends and lovers. I don't need to clear everything I do with the two of you and you two don't need to clear everything with me. When we get married we can talk about changing that if you want."

"What's this when?" Lex asked even though his anger had abruptly dissolved into enough delight that Clark snickered at him.

"If you won't marry Bruce, I most certainly will," Clark replied and grinned at Lex abruptly tackling him and hauling him back onto the bed for kisses that left both of them breathless.

"Enough play time," Bruce said, smacking Lex's butt hard enough to make Lex jump. "We do have more important things to worry about and no, finding out your ancestry isn't as urgent as dealing with Ra's and his plots, Clark."

Lex sighed when Clark let him go but didn't push it. Despite his horror at discovering that Clark had run off to his supposed greatest enemy without telling anyone, things had turned out for the best. Plus Bruce was right. They did have bigger issues to deal with.

They headed back out into the main room of their Gotham suite, settling down around the table that was strewn with plans and notes on the House Wayne vote of confidence. It was already inevitable that a vote would occur. Bill Earle had lost so much prestige and support from the other major Houses that his position as seneschal was degrading by the day. His being booted from House Wayne was only a matter of time, but the timing of the vote was vital for Bruce being returned to his position as Dominus of House Wayne.

If he wasn't there, on the floor and arguing his rights when the vote occurred, there was little likelihood of anyone at House Wayne believing he was anything other than a fake. Bruce had to show up before the vote was called, perhaps call for it himself, if he was to reclaim his place and position in society.

Add that to Ra's threat to destroy Gotham with his fear virus gas attack and their timing had to be impeccable.

"Do we know when it's going to happen?" Clark asked while reviewing Lex's list of Dominus for and against Earle.

"It will probably happen tomorrow or the next day at the latest," Lex said while studying the routes that Bruce would have to use to get into House Wayne territory. "The hard part is going to be sure that Bruce gets there in time."

"They have improved the defenses on the walls and within Wayne territory since your ride, Lex," Bruce agreed. "We need a much better car to get in. Maybe a tank."

Clark shrugged and grinned at them. "So let's ask House O'Neill if they have any nice toys that we can borrow. I'm sure that they've got some good assault vehicles that we can use. They have all the best toys after all."

He didn't wince at the glares he received when House O'Neill was mentioned but Clark did raise his chin defiantly. Lex huffed at him because it was a good suggestion that might actually make this mess possible instead of a pipe dream. There was no way the vehicles they had would get Bruce into House Wayne territory anymore. Even a flying car would be shot down long before it got there.

"Fine," Bruce grumbled. "But it better be something damned impressive. I'm still not happy about them knowing so much about you."

"Come on," Clark complained as they all stood up. "They knew since I was a baby. They just didn't say anything about it and who could blame them? It's not exactly the most believable thing in the world, baby aliens from outer space."

"He must have been adorable as a baby," Lex mused because he wasn't going to dignify that with a proper reply.

"Devastatingly so," Bruce agreed. "So make the call and we'll go."

An hour later, Lex was convinced that Jack O'Neill was Bruce's new best friend. He had weapons that made the best guns available on the black market look like toys and the Tumbler was a wet dream. Clark looked so disgruntled that Lex chuckled and nudged his side while Bruce took another screeching turn through the underground testing facility in the Tumbler with Jack riding alongside him.

"He's going to sleep in it tonight, isn't he?" Lex murmured.

"As long as he doesn't have sex with it," Clark snorted at Lex's grin.

"He doesn't have powers so he needs toys," Lex said and shrugged.

Clark laughed and looped an arm around Lex's shoulder. Between the Tumbler, the advanced stun weapons that Jack was more than willing to provide and his promise to have huge numbers of troops ready with antidotes to the fear toxin, they might actually have a chance of winning.

"Nice, isn't it?" Jack asked once they stopped joy-riding in the Tumbler.

"Perfect," Bruce said, though he was smirking. "Though I do wonder if we can get it in black. Desert camo isn't exactly appropriate for me."

"The one you get will be a nice matte black," Jack promised though he did roll his eyes at the request. "It'll be there tomorrow morning by four a.m., along with all the weapons you guys requested. We're still trying to hunt down where Ra's is hiding but Gotham's tunnels go on forever. There's a lot more down there than we thought."

"I'll work on cleaning it up once I'm back in charge," Bruce said.

Lex raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised (though not really) that during the joy-riding Bruce had decided to trust O'Neill with his secret identity. His other secret identity. Granted, with his resources Jack probably already knew about it but that hardly mattered.

They headed back for the surface, Jack waving casually at some of the crew he had below the surface to repaint the Tumbler black before it was delivered. Lex frowned, crossed his arms over his chest and studied Jack and his personal slave Daniel.

"Did you always know that Bruce was Bruce Wayne?" Lex asked after a few floors. His voice came out much more hostile than he expected but there was nothing to be done about that now.

"Nope," Jack said. He studied Lex and shrugged after a second. "Didn't figure it out until I came out to Smallville to have my little chat with Clark. Frankly, the only reason I did was that Bruce is a spitting image of his father and I knew him from when we were young. If I had, I would have done something much sooner."

"See?" Clark said with one finger poked into Bruce's side. "You should have told us sooner!"

"There's no point in worrying about that now," Bruce grumbled.

His glare was much less effective than normal because his cheeks were turning ever so faintly red. They arrived back at the ground level warehouse that Jack apparently used to house his trade goods from other worlds. Lex wasn't sure exactly what House O'Neill was actually doing out in the galaxy but it looked to be profitable.

Of course, the many weapons and warriors that filled the warehouse implied that it was also dangerous. In the future, after they'd dealt with Ra's and Bruce's position, Lex thought that they really needed to sit down with Jack and find out what extraterrestrial threats were out there. Being prepared for an alien invasion was only logical when you knew for a fact that they were out there, had come to Earth before and were hostile.

"We should get back to Gotham," Clark said to Jack. "There's still a lot of work we need to do."

"No problem," Jack said. He tapped the radio headset (or maybe it was something more advanced than radio, Lex thought) and a moment later Alicia appeared, smiling at them all. "Get them home, Alicia. We're going to be working you hard later."

"I heard," Alicia said. "Come here and I'll take you guys back."

The actual process of teleporting wasn't horrifically disorienting but Lex's head still spun as they arrived back in Gotham. Alicia popped away, leaving them alone in a darkened room that Lex identified after a few seconds as their bedroom.

He grumbled. "I don't like that people have this easy of access to our bedroom."

"It's not like she's going to spy on us while we have sex," Clark said. His grin was obvious once Bruce flipped the lights on.

"True, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other teleporters out there who might harbor ill intentions," Lex huffed.

Bruce chuckled and pulled Lex into a hug that ended up being a sandwich, Lex between Bruce and Clark's warm and commanding bodies. He groaned, more turned on than he should be with everything they still had to do. Before either of them could do more than kiss Lex's neck a knock sounded at the bedroom door.

"Go away!" Lex shouted and then sighed as Bruce stepped back and opened the door. "No one ever listens to me. I swear, you listened better when I was pretending to be a catamite."

"Sorry, Dominus," the guard outside said. He was snickering and trying to stop it without much success. "There's a bunch of stuff being delivered to the back rooms by um… we're not sure who's doing it but it's… really incredible."

"Allies," Clark said as he let Lex go with a sigh of regret. "And yeah, it should be really cool."

"Fine, forget about the sex," Lex complained though he was curious to get his hands on some of the weapons, "we'll go play with guns instead of having fun."

"Playing with guns is fun," Bruce commented from his place by the door.

The guard grinned his agreement and led the way downstairs to the store rooms where the weapons continued to appear. If it was Alicia doing it, she was arriving and leaving so quickly that Lex couldn't see her. To him it looked more like the crates appeared in a shower of light which suggested a different methodology for their delivery.

"I have got to get my hands on the specs for these," Lex murmured as he examined one of the guns that they'd been given. "These are glorious."

From the enthusiastic noises from Bruce, Clark, the guards and the House Clark seneschal, everyone agreed with him. The weapons wouldn't do Bruce much good dealing with House Wayne and his fight to regain his proper position but they would be a huge help when Ra's began his attack against Gotham.

Hopefully Jack would figure out where the microwave emitter that Earle had given to Ra's was before the attack began. Even as he thought it Lex knew that it was a wildly optimistic thought. More than likely they would have to fight not just Ra's men but their own terror when the attack came. All that Lex could do was hope that the antidote Fox was working on would be ready in time and in sufficient quantities to save the city from tearing itself apart.

+++++

"I love this thing," Bruce murmured as he slid into his brand new matte black Tumbler.

Perhaps using it would reveal his identity as Batman but that couldn't be helped. No other vehicle was available that would get him from the Narrows to Wayne Manor in time for the meeting that Bruce knew Lex was already calling. He hoped that the body armor and helmet that House O'Neill had provided would be different enough from his Batman armor that people wouldn't make the connection but one way or the other he needed to use the Tumbler to get home. Their plan wasn't the best in the world but that hardly mattered. All that mattered was getting there in time for Bruce to confront Bill Earle and to claim his position as Dominus of House Wayne.

Bruce blew out the doors of the garage that the Tumbler had been hiding in. It was several blocks away from House Clark at Jack O'Neill's suggestion. Better for it not to be obvious where Bruce had been hidden all this time, which Bruce completely agreed with. The fewer people who knew which House he'd been enslaved to all this time, the better it would be.

He encountered no resistance at all until he'd reached the bridge off of the island. Rockets flew at him but missed when Bruce swerved and went over several cars that were in his way. One rocket hit the tail end of the Tumbler where the armor was the thickest. The explosion made Bruce's ears ring for a moment but that was it. His helmet plus the armor on the Tumbler protected his hearing. He roared over the bridge so quickly that he took flight for a moment when he came down the ramp on the far side.

People scattered, both police and regular people getting out of his way. Someone, probably Clark, had obviously called in an alert because the roads quickly cleared of everyone other than Bruce, some Imperial Guards who foolishly attempted to stop him, and troops in black armor that had to belong to Ra's al Ghul.

In many ways it reminded Bruce of Lex's ride to the Imperial Guardhouse, though Bruce knew he had no one guarding his back. Lex was ahead of him, preparing for Bruce's arrival at the meeting. Clark was behind him, getting ready to defend the city against Ra's attack. One of Ra's men spun his motorcycle and roared straight at the Tumbler. Bruce growled and refused to swerve. At the last instant something large and dark impacted the ninja, knocking him aside to spin out of control into a building.

"Hmm, maybe I do have someone on my back," Bruce mused with a grimly satisfied smile.

He hadn't expected House O'Neill to get involved but it seemed like someone was watching out for Bruce. The Tumbler roared underneath the monorail that connected the various parts of Gotham and then Bruce turned towards the closest entrance into the House Wayne walls. It was heavily guarded and fortified but Bruce didn't have time to head for one of the less well defended gates.

Three rockets took out the gates. Machine gun fire made the guards on the wall dive for cover and then Bruce was through the burning gap and onto the street that led to Wayne Manor. He immediately drove off of the road and onto the sidewalk. If it had been him in charge, there would be landmines on the street and given the strange pattern of wear on the road's surface he was probably right. The very recently patched potholes scattered several dozen yards beyond the gate were entirely too suggestive of a mine field to him.

A block and a half later, with eight crushed cars behind him and a bevy of Wayne troops on motorcycles following him with sirens blaring, Bruce bounced back onto the road and drove straight for the Manor. He couldn't see it yet though that was no surprise. House Wayne's walls enclosed manufacturing and warehouse facilities, which he was driving through currently, residential and entertainment blocks, which he would come to soon, and at the heart was the administrative complex that radiated out from the ancestral Wayne Manor.

The huge blocky manufacturing buildings rapidly gave way to block after block of residential houses. Bruce cursed when one of the guards started shooting at the Tumbler. A smoke screen quickly threw them off of the chase though Bruce knew more would show up ahead of him.

To his great relief, no one was out on the streets of the residential areas. Bruce didn't think he could stand to run over a child in the process of getting home. The stately trees that had lined the residential area appeared to have been cut down sometime ago. Most of the little houses and larger apartment blocks looked exposed without the trees that had made House Wayne territory one of the most beautiful on the east coast.

When he whipped around the corner leading to the entertainment district, Bruce growled. A huge blockade stretched across the road, complete with tire-shredding strips and people with grenade launchers. His hidden accomplices let loose some sort of beam that melted the strip and Bruce's cannon made short work of the barricade behind it.

People scattered again as he smashed through the remaining barricade. As soon as he was past it gunfire rained down on the Tumbler but O'Neill's armor held better than anything Bruce had ever heard of. He kept driving, maneuvering quickly through the mass of cars and people. One person dove onto the Tumbler and then slid off the side. Bruce desperately hoped that the bump he encountered immediately after that wasn't the tires going over the man's body. Something flared bright off to the right side of the Tumbler.

"Ow," Bruce groaned as he pulled his head up off of the steering wheel.

It felt as though he'd lost a few moments. Bruce's head rang inside of his helmet and there were sounds of people hammering on the Tumbler. When he blinked his eyes clear he realized that he must have run over a mine of some sort. The Tumbler's armor had protected him but it wasn't running anymore.

"Damn," Bruce snarled as he checked the time. Not enough time. There was never enough time.

Switching to motorcycle mode wasn't something that Bruce had wanted to do but he had little choice now that the Tumbler was immobile. The entire rear axle was broken according to the displays. Bruce flipped the appropriate switches and allowed the mechanisms in the Tumbler to pull him forward and onto the hidden motorcycle frame.

Twenty seconds later he gunned the engine and broke free from the hulk of metal that had been the Tumbler.

Bruce smiled at the shouts that erupted around him. The agile motorcycle was as durable as its parent vehicle and nearly as heavily armed. He was able to blast through the last of the troops, most of them dressed in black armor reminiscent of Ra's al Ghul's men rather than the House Wayne armor.

The road was clearly mined but that hardly mattered when Bruce was able to ride his motorcycle up over the curb and onto the sidewalks. That led him to a ramp for produce that eventually took him to the rooftops of the entertainment district. Bruce blessed his ancestors' preference for close-set buildings and flat roofs as he flew from building to building, along with Jack's engineers for designing such an incredible vehicle.

There were voices over the communicator in his helmet now, one of which was Clark's. He could hear Clark talking to someone about the fear toxin having been released but Bruce couldn't focus on that. He tapped the comm off so that he could focus on driving. Wayne Manor appeared from behind the last of the entertainment buildings. Bruce took the last jump and just barely managed to control the motorcycle when he landed. Something had broken in the impact but it was still moving, still mobile, so Bruce drove on up the broad lane that he and his parents used to ride along for Founding Day parades.

Shots whizzed around Bruce. His motorcycle was spluttering so it wasn't much of a surprise when it gasped and bucked and then died. Bruce rode it until it stopped at the base of the hill where troops in Wayne armor were standing massed.

"Don't shoot!" Bruce shouted at them.

He pulled off his helmet and ran straight at them, deliberately not pulling the stun gun on his belt. Bruce winced as a bullet buzzed past his ear but kept running straight for the troops that he hoped were still loyal to his family.

"Wayne!" one of the guards shouted.

"Wayne!" another yelled.

The shout carried down the troops line and suddenly one of them ran forward flung his riot shield around Bruce's back. Another one joined him, covering Bruce well enough that he thought he might survive to make it into the Manor. An older soldier that Bruce recognized from the day that his parents died waved for Bruce to get a truck.

"In here!" Master Jim Gordon shouted with a grin so wide that his mustache bristled. "I'll get you there, Dominus Wayne!"

"Thank you," Bruce said.

Bruce dove into the passenger side of the truck and barely had time to get in his seat before Gordon had stomped on the accelerator. Several Wayne guards managed to grab onto the door of the truck, holding their riot shields over the windows to protect against sniper bullets. They were grinning at him too.

"Is anyone happy with Earle?" Bruce asked while carefully bracing himself so that he didn't slide all over the truck's cab.

"Not a single person who isn't in his direct employ," Gordon chuckled. "You have no idea how glad people will be that you survived, son. No idea at all."

"Mmm, I have some idea," Bruce said. "Just took a while to gain the allies I needed to get back here."

Gordon looked at him sideways for a moment but didn't comment as they roared up the road to the main entrance to the Manor. Once they screeched to a stop the guard on Bruce's door flung it open and held his riot shield over Bruce. The other three guards did likewise, creating a shield around him that should protect Bruce against any snipers.

"Inside and hurry boys!" Gordon called to them. "There's a meeting he needs to attend."

Bruce laughed with the guards and ran along with them. The front door opened and Bruce had one endless perfect instant to see Alfred standing at the door with that same old calm butler's expression on his face. It wasn't until he was past that he realized that Alfred had tears in his eyes that were creeping down his cheeks.

"Good men," Bruce snapped at his guards. "We're almost there. Don't let anyone interrupt the meeting once I'm inside."

"No sir!"

Bruce knew exactly where he was going so he pushed through their shields and ran full speed down the broad hallways that had been his home so long ago. Up the short flight of stairs, right at the main hallway and all the way to the end of the hall where the great double doors were guarded by a pair of bored, disgusted looking Wayne troops. They stared and then snapped to attention with highly inappropriate grins of delight on their faces when they realized who Bruce was.

"They're just taking roll call, Dominus Wayne," the left guard said as he opened the door for Bruce.

"Not Dominus yet," Bruce murmured. He swallowed against his suddenly dry mouth and tried to calm his pounding heart. "Soon, but not yet."

"As if anyone's going to deny you," the other guard said.

"He does have allies," Bruce said. "Guard the door and don't let anyone in or out until this is settled."

"Yes sir!"

Bruce had only ever been down the hallway to the council room when the council had been elsewhere. His father had taken him several times, pointing out the seats and explaining who sat where and why. Bruce had been too young to sit in on the council meetings before his parents died. The meetings he'd sat in with Clark had been entirely different. A slave didn't have the same point of view as a free man, literally.

He hesitated for one endless moment and then shoved the door open to hear Lex saying something massively cutting to Bill Earle.

"I am Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas and Martha Wayne," Bruce declared as he strode into the council room. "I am here to reclaim my rightful position as Dominus of House Wayne."

The room had been remodeled during the passing years. People used to sit around the council table, which was actually just a series of simple rectangular tables arranged in a rough U shape. Now there was a built-up dais with a wall guarding the councilors from anyone entering the room. They were elevated so that Bruce had to tilt his head back to meet Bill Earle's startled eyes.

The room was clearly divided with Earle's people on Bruce's right and Lex with the younger Dominus on the left side of the room. Earle's people looked startled and afraid, a few downright terrified to see Bruce standing before them in his House O'Neill supplied body armor. Lex's allies, _Bruce's_ allies leaped to their feet and cheered at Bruce's words.

"I call for a vote of no confidence," Dominus Oliver Queen shouted so loudly that Earle couldn't shut him up no matter how hard he hammered on the table with the old ceremonial orb.

"Seconded!" Domina Zatara declared.

"You can't…" Earle gasped as silence suddenly descended on the room.

"A vote of no confidence in Master Earle had been called and seconded," Bruce said and allowed his voice to descend into a command register that he hadn't dared used since his enslavement, other than in bed with Clark and Lex. Everyone in the room shivered which made Bruce smile. "House Wayne law demands that it be voted on immediately. Call the House Wayne masters over the comms."

For a long moment Earle stared down at Bruce with death in his eyes. Then he sighed and nodded. Behind Bruce, there was a new wall full of computer screens that quickly lit up with the images of nearly every House Wayne master and person of import. Bruce watched their reactions as they spotted him standing in the center of the council room. At a rough guess, Bruce thought that the vote to confirm him might be very close. The glee as Earle announced the vote of no-confidence said very bad things about Earle's vote of no-confidence.

Practically the instant Earle announced the voting open, the 'no' votes began cascading in. The various Dominus and Domina sat silently, by tradition witnesses to what was progressing but unable to affect it. Once the vote was called their job was done until House Wayne chose a new leader, either a seneschal or, hopefully, a new Dominus.

"The vote stands at two yes," Bruce said as calmly as possible with savage joy raging through his heart, "and three hundred forty-one no. The count is clear. Master Bill Earle is removed as seneschal and acting head of House Wayne. House Wayne now must choose a new leader. Nominations?"

"I nominate Bruce Wayne!" Master Jim Gordon shouted before anyone could ask a question or suggest anyone else. "I was there when his parents were murdered. I recognize him and vow that that is Bruce Wayne, returned to us at last."

"I am willing to make the vote provisional on checking my genetics," Bruce called over the other House Wayne master shouting their opinions. The voices went silent. "I have been gone for a very long time. I understand that you have doubts as to my identity. Those who protected me when I was stolen away were not aware of my identity until recently."

"The city is being torn apart," one of the Masters of the House Wayne warriors snapped. "We can't afford to have a provisional Dominus."

"My allies will help whether I'm put in or not," Bruce said.

"House O'Neil," Master Gordon observed. "No one else could have given you that armor."

"Indeed," Bruce said, unconsciously mimicking Teal'c and then deliberately mimicking his grave head nod and tiny smile.

It seemed to have an effect on everyone. Earle's allies were twitching in their chairs while Bruce's allies were grinning triumphantly. Several long seconds later the votes started coming in. Bruce held his breath at first and then let it out in a long controlled exhale as the votes came in two to one in his favor. All of the yes votes were marked 'Dominus', not 'Seneschal'.

"The vote stands at two hundred and six in favor of Bruce Wayne as the new House Wayne Dominus," Lex announced formally when Earle just sat and stared silently at the totals. "One hundred and thirty-seven are opposed or indicate for seneschal. House Wayne has a new Dominus, Dominus Bruce Wayne."

"Thank you," Bruce said with a grateful nod to the masters of his House. "Lex, call your people. Let House Clark and House Luthor know that we need their aid. I'll call House O'Neill and get them in to help deal with the chaos that's been unleashed.

"Guards, arrest Bill Earle for kidnapping and illegally selling into slavery the heir to House Wayne," Bruce continued as he turned to glare at Earle and then point at his allies. "I want all of those people out of House Wayne territory in the next ten minutes. You have permission to use whatever level of force you deem appropriate to accomplish it."

"What?" Earle gasped.

Earle's allies howled and squawked but the smarter ones like Cobblepot ran for the door to get out of House Wayne as quickly as possible. In less than two minutes only allies remained in the council room. Bruce looked at the monitors, smiling at the people he now commanded.

"I think it's time to get to work saving our city," Bruce said to them. "I'll let everyone know what happened to me once we deal with the attack on the city."

They signed off, most of them grinning. Only a few of them looked worried about their positions. Bruce noted their faces with the intention of finding out who they were later on so that he could ensure that they were either brought back to his side or removed from House Wayne for good. Behind him, his new allies left their seats and joined him in the center of the room.

"Didn't know you had allies like that," Dominus Queen commented.

"I offered to marry Lex years ago," Bruce said and then grinned as Lex blushed brilliantly. "I'm hopeful that I'll get to do it now, along with Master Clark of House Clark."

"You know I'm not going to say no," Lex laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "I think it's time to get to work though."

"True," Bruce replied. "Any help that you're willing to give would be very welcome. Ra's al Ghul's plan affects everyone, not just Gotham. We have to stop him here or our entire world may fall around our ears."

+++++

Gotham felt different tonight.

Clark knew that it wasn't because everyone in the city knew that Bruce Wayne was about to return as their ruler but it felt that way to him. The real reason for the obvious tension filling Gotham was Ra's al Ghul. Everywhere he listened people whispered that something big was coming. For whatever reason, he didn't hear Ra's or his people no matter how hard he tried to find them.

They had to be somewhere in Gotham. Logically, they must be underground in the warren of tunnels that the Underground Railroad had abandoned once Clark sent a message back to his mother. Hopefully once they got rid of Ra's the tunnels could be used to save and house people again but until then they were empty and echoing.

Unfortunately for Clark's efforts to find Ra's, those echoes were nothing more than the sounds of dripping water and squeaking rats.

He sighed and took to the air. If he couldn't find Ra's by listening then he'd find him by looking. Lex and Bruce had to deal with the mess at House Wayne so it was Clark's job to find Ra's and stop him before he could attack the city that was Bruce's home. Clouds hovered over the city, lowering the ceiling of visibility enough that Clark had to fly fairly close to the buildings below. Rain was inevitable later. Clark could feel it on his skin as he flew.

The outskirts of Gotham were so quiet that it felt like no one lived there. Most of the buildings there were small holdings for families that were working on gathering enough people and capital to declare themselves as new Houses. Most of the people the Underground Railroad saved ended up out here. Clark didn't see any signs of Ra's' men. Worse, he only found rare signs that these people were succeeding in making a living at the edges of society. They had to find a way to help the small holdings once Ra's was dealt with.

Clark started when an explosion went off at the edges of House Wayne territory. He flew closer and smiled to see Bruce blast his way through the barriers. Alicia and another person from House O'Neill were perched on top of a nearby building. She saw him and waved so Clark waved back just before Alicia teleported them somewhere else.

"Good," Clark mused with a relieved smile on his face. "I really am free to search the city for Ra's."

It wouldn't start in House Wayne territory. Clark was sure of that. Ra's wanted to destroy the whole city so he had to start outside of the walls and work his way in. The streets were empty of all traffic other than Bruce and the people trying to stop him so Clark's warning to the Imperial Guard had been effective. Any vehicle that Ra's used would be obvious now.

Fog billowed up along the bay, immediately followed by screams of terror.

"What?" Clark gasped.

He slipped on the little breathing mask that Jack had sent and flew straight for the fog bank. The fog made his eyes burn but that was all. No irrational terrors or hallucinations attacked him. His breathing mask seemed to be protecting him against the toxin, thank goodness. Screams intensified around him. Clark couldn't see a truck big enough to carry the microwave anywhere on the streets so he flew up into the sky to get out of the fog.

"I have a problem," Clark said after turning his comm to the channel they'd set up with House O'Neill.

"The attack has started?" Jack asked, surprising Clark that he'd be handling it personally.

"Yeah, it's out by the docks somewhere but I can't see a truck anywhere around here," Clark said. He frowned and scanned the area again, finding nothing helpful, not even Ra's troops hidden inside of a warehouse or truck. "Nothing, nothing at all, but people are already screaming."

"We're coming in with tranquilizer guns filled with the antidote," Jack replied so grimly that Clark couldn't help but worry more. "Find that truck, Superman. We've got a lot of the antidote but not enough for the entire city. Plus we don't have enough people to inoculate everyone right away."

"On it," Clark replied.

The monorail slid past, following its automatic programming to head through the city's suburbs and then into the heart of Wayne Territory to the tower that stood a mere quarter mile from Wayne Manor. Clark ignored it for the moment, but the fog started expanding underneath the monorail's path.

"It's in the monorail!" Clark snapped through his comms. "O'Neill! The microwave weapon is in the monorail! Get your people somewhere ahead of it and blow up the rail system. I'm going to stop the monorail itself."

"Be careful," Jack replied. "I have to get approval to destroy a transportation system in someone else's city unless the threat is nuclear. The emperor hates it when that happens."

"Fuck," Clark commented. "Hurry on the approval then!"

"Will do," Jack said grimly enough that he might as well be cursing too.

Clark put the mask back over his mouth and then dove back into the fog. The fog was expanding, billowing outwards from the track of the monorail. He saw one manhole cover blow off and then another. The microwave weapon had to be turning the water into vapor so rapidly that it was all but exploding in the pipes underground.

'People are going to die,' Clark thought and then wanted to kick himself for the sheer stupidity of the thought.

Of course people were going to die. That's what Ra's wanted, but killing them with superheated steam explosions was probably not what Ra's had intended. Whether he intended it or not though, anyone close to the water mains when they blew was going to be scalded and possibly killed by the steam.

The monorail's four linked cars appeared out of the fog. Clark scanned it and glared that there were troops in each of the cars. There was a big machine in the first car that had to be the microwave weapon. Someone had obviously overridden the programming for each of the stops because the monorail swept past the next stop without slowing down.

Despite his progress on mastering flight, Clark bit his lip as he swooped close to the end of the monorail. He didn't feel confident enough of his flying to try and catch the front of the monorail. Between his strength and lack of experience with flying, Clark was afraid he'd kill everyone in the area by flailing the thing around, not to mention killing everyone the monorail.

Clark ripped the door off of the back of the monorail and dropped it to the street below. Ra's' men immediately started firing but the bullets bounced off of Clark or embedded in his body armor, leaving Clark free to fly through the gaping hole and attack.

None of them were gifted so it only took a few seconds to knock them all out. Clark took a moment to throw all of them off of the monorail so that they couldn't wake up and attack him later. James zipped in out of the sky and caught them men in some sort of glowing net that had to be House O'Neill manufacture for him to be able to carry that many men while flying.

"Get him!"

A shout came from the next car up. Clark turned and blasted their guns with his heat vision and then knocked each of them out. They filled James' net but another person that Clark didn't recognize appeared with a second net so it was okay. Taking out the guards in the third car was harder. They had meteor rock but Clark managed to stagger back far enough that he could melt the guns which let the metal encapsulate the meteor rock safely. Ejecting them from the monorail left Clark alone with Ra's al Ghul.

"Ra's!" Clark shouted as he entered the final car of the monorail.

They were near the walls around House Wayne territory and the turn that would take them into the walls was coming up. It was a short trip through the walls as the monorail dipped into House Wayne territory for a couple of blocks near the biggest factory and then out again to make stops on the far side of the wall before taking that final turn into the heart of House Wayne lands.

"Interesting that he sent you," Ra's said in such a quiet cold voice that it sent a shiver up Clark's spine. "No matter. You'll find that I am prepared for you, Superman."

He raised a hand holding some sort of switch and suddenly Clark's legs gave way. It was worse than meteor rock, though that familiar pain and nausea was there. Clark felt as though his strength drained out of him like water slipping through a sieve. The lights in the car were strangely reddish, completely unlike any light that Clark had ever seen before.

"You are quite brave to come here," Ra's said. He knelt in front of Clark and smiled at the way Clark snarled and tried to rise. "Foolish, but quite brave. Did you truly think that I wouldn't be prepared for you? We may not have discovered everything that there is to know about you, but we know enough to ensure that you will not stop us, Superman."

Ra's reached out and pinched Clark's hand. It hurt. Clark stared at him in horror as he realized that the red light had stolen his invulnerability. His horror made Ra's smile. That smile was the most terrifying thing that Clark had ever seen.

"Yes, you see now, don't you?" Ra's said. "You may have taken my men from me, but I still have the advantage. You're helpless and you are in my hands, Superman. Batman and his allies will not dare to attack when you are my hostage."

"They'll kill you," Clark snarled as he prayed that their words were being carried over the comms to House O'Neill, Lex and Bruce. "I'm not that important. We'll stop you and you'll be punished for all of this."

Ra's laughed as if Clark was a foolish child. He turned away to check on the microwave weapon, nodding with satisfaction. The monorail carried them onwards as inevitably as the sun moving across the sky. Clark tried to lever himself up to his hands and knees but the pain from the meteor rock was too much for him. He collapsed back down to the floor, panting.

"O'Neill…" Clark whispered.

"We're working on it!" O'Neill snapped in his ear.

"Blow up the monorail, O'Neill," Clark whispered. "Don't let him get away with this."

"They will never do that," Ra's said with a smile at Clark that chilled him to the bone. "They lack the will and fortitude to do what is required, Superman. It is unfortunate for you and for the world but we are here and we will do what must be done."

"Blow up the monorail, O'Neill!" Clark hissed.

All he got back was Jack cursing and Ra's al Ghul's chilling smile. They swept through the wall, past the stop inside the wall, and then back out of the wall again. Clark cursed under his breath and struggled to rise. He had to stop Ra's. The microwave weapon had to be stopped before it vaporized all the water in the city and drove everyone insane.

"You are quite stubborn," Ra's commented when Clark managed to get up on his hands and knees.

"Won't… let… you… do this!" Clark panted.

"I'm afraid that you have no say in this, Superman," Ra's replied.

He strode back over and pressed something on the back of Clark's neck between the collar of his armor and the bottom edge of his helmet. Clark's scream of agony came out strangled because the chunk of meteor rock on his spine had filled him with so much pain that he couldn't even breathe. The pain drove Clark straight back to the floor with only Ra's words to temper the green-tinted darkness that threatened to consume him.

"It is a pity that you are so stubborn," Ra's mused as he walked back to the side of the microwave weapon. "If you could only see that you're fighting to support a corrupt and decadent system. The world groans under the weight of the House system, Superman. It must be dismantled and the people freed for any true progress and hope to exist. I had hoped to keep you alive. Your powers would be quite useful for the League. Ah well. One does what one must."

Clark tried to brush the chunk of meteor rock off his neck but it was secured by some sort of tape. He managed two feeble tugs before the pain and disorientation sent him unconscious. The last thing he heard was voices over his comm frantically talking about the hostage on the monorail.  
+++++

Bruce bit down on the urge to sigh as he signed the last form necessary to legally be declared House Wayne Dominus. He'd forgotten that they had to be completed before he would be able to command their troops or give orders to anyone in House Wayne. No matter how twitchy he was to get out there and help everyone fighting Ra's troops and the fear toxin poisoning his city Bruce had to finish the paperwork first.

Lex, Dominus Oliver Queen, Domina Zatanna and the other young Dominus of Clark and Lex's alliance grinned as the last one was signed, sealed and given to the House Wayne archivist. She checked each of the spots he was supposed to sign and then added the last sheet to the stack. Her face wrinkled like a prune as she smiled and tucked one gray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Very good," she said, nodding approval as she closed the folder of paperwork. "Now get to work, Dominus Wayne. We're a mess."

Bruce laughed, gave her an ironic little bow that she didn't seem to realize was ironic and stood. "On my way to do just that. I want a full report from you on everything you see that's wrong."

She grinned so wickedly that Bruce raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll have it on your desk by tomorrow morning. We've been quietly compiling data on everything that idiot Earle was doing. Now shoo and be a proper Dominus, child. There are things that need your attention."

Her casual flip of one wrinkled hand at Bruce nearly made him laugh. Bruce thought that he could remember her working with his parents when he was a little boy. More than likely her report would be full of things he needed to know and if he was right about her identity, they would be couched in the bluntest terms possible. At her age, she had little reason to care what the rich and powerful thought about her.

Lex's lips were pressed together to hold in his laughter as the archivist hobbled out of the room, leaning on her cane as she went. Before Bruce could say anything, or the others could congratulate him, Alfred appeared at the door with Alicia by his side.

She was carrying the bag that held Bruce's Batman armor when he wasn't using it. Her expression was tense enough that all the amusement evaporated.

"Alfred," Bruce said and went over to hug the old man exactly as he'd wanted to for years. There were obviously things that needed to be dealt with but this had to happen first for Bruce's peace of mind.

"Sir?" Alfred asked while awkwardly patting Bruce's back.

"I'll want to talk to you later, Alfred," Bruce said once he let Alfred go, "but for now, just know that I missed you and that the things you taught me as a boy helped enormously over the years."

Alfred's cheeks went pink. This time when he patted Bruce's elbow it was fond, reassuring and obviously pleased. Propriety be damned, Bruce thought with a mental growl at their audience that he didn't allow to become audible. Alfred was all that he had left of his family. When this was all over he was going to sit down with Alfred and tell Alfred all about his time as a slave and how Alfred's lessons had helped Bruce prosper with Clark and the Kents.

"As touching as this is," Alicia said just urgently enough to make Bruce to frown at her, "I need to talk to you. We have a crisis that you need to address."

"What's wrong?" Lex asked at the exact same time that Bruce, Oliver, Zatanna, Hal, Barry and Katar asked it.

"Superman has been captured by Ra's al Ghul," Alicia said and then winced at the explosion of worried and urgent questions that erupted.

"Where and how?" Bruce demanded with an imperious wave that shut everyone other than Oliver and Katar up.

"I thought he was invulnerable!" Katar said as he thumped one fist into the table in the center of the room.

"How the hell did Ra's do that?" Oliver asked.

"Ra's has the microwave weapon on the monorail," Alicia said, focusing on Bruce rather than the others as was appropriate given that he was Dominus of House Wayne. "Given the monorai's path through the city, it's the optimum place to put it to vaporize all the water and expose everyone in the city to his fear toxin. Superman figured it out and went in to stop him. He managed to remove Ra's' men from the monorail but Ra's had a pair of weapons that removed his powers and crippled him. He's unconscious and in danger, Dominus Wayne. I have to go help House O'Neil blow up the monorail track before it gets here but Dominus Jack wanted you to know what was going on so that you could take your own actions to stop this."

"We'll help," Zatanna said so quickly that Bruce couldn't order them to safety immediately. "I have… skills that might be of assistance."

"Agreed," Oliver said. "One of my guards is um, the Green Arrow. I'll get him to help House O'Neil."

"We'll all help," Katar agreed as Barry nodded faster than a normal human could nod. "We each have things to offer towards ending this attack on your city, Dominus Wayne."

"Go. Work with House O'Neill on this," Bruce said and then glared when they all looked horrified by the suggestion. "Yes, yes, I know, but they're not the threat that you think they are. I wouldn't be here without their help and support. Lex, we need to talk to Alicia privately."

"Agreed," Lex said. "I have some troops in the area but not many. There are questions I need to ask."

"Try and work together," Bruce told the others. "I'm going to be busy working directly with Dominus O'Neill so do your best to interface with each other. Try and minimize the damage and help inoculate people against that damned toxin. I don't want to lose have the city to Ra's' plot."

The other Dominus nodded ran out. Alfred calmly closed the door so that Alicia, Lex and Bruce would be able to talk privately. As soon as the door was shut Bruce started putting on his armor. If he was right, the others were doing the exact same thing in whatever private rooms they could find in the Manor. Oliver's 'guard' who was Green Lantern probably had blond hair in exactly his style and blue eyes exactly his shade, just like Master Barry had to be the Flash judging by his rapid movements. Ra's might have more on his hands than he'd thought very soon if Bruce was right.

"I'll handle things here," Lex told Bruce. "You need to get out there and save Clark!"

"I can't teleport you onto the monorail," Alicia said once Bruce was dressed. "I can get you close but I'm not able to teleport onto moving objects."

"It's okay," Bruce said in his Batman voice. "Lex, work with Alfred. He's… he's the real power of House Wayne. I trust him. If he asks where I am, tell him the truth. He'll be able to get you whatever authority you need for the short term. This… I won't let Ra's hurt Clark, I promise. I'll get him back no matter what it takes."

"You be careful, damn it!" Lex snarled. He pulled Bruce in for a ferocious kiss and then shoved him away again. "Go save Clark!"

Bruce nodded and let Alicia teleport him to the wall around House Wayne territory. The top of the wall was two stories over the ground, with a long, wide battlement that had full defensive capabilities. The soldiers lining the wall started and stared as Alicia appeared with Batman by her side. A couple of them raised their guns hesitantly but their sergeant ordered them to stand down. Alicia and Bruce ignored them all.

"We've got about three miles before it turns into Wayne territory from here," Alicia said. "O'Neill is planning a few things with your allies but with Superman hostage on the monorail we've got a problem. O'Neill doesn't want to kill him if he can help it."

"Good," Bruce said in his deepest Batman voice. "Go and do what you need to do. I'll free Superman and distract Ra's until O'Neill's plans can be put into action. Don't worry about destroying the monorail once Superman is free. It can be rebuilt if necessary. The most important thing is stopping Ra's and saving the city."

Alicia nodded and disappeared in a flash of green light that made the soldiers gasp and back away. Bruce climbed up on top of the battlements and waited for the monorail to sweep by. It was running a little faster than normal, but not beyond its safety parameters. As it approached, Bruce pulled his grapple gun and took aim.

The grapple smashed through one window and then hooked on a support strut inside. Bruce had just enough time to snap the grapple onto his belt and then swing off of the battlement before he was swept away by the monorail's motion. Once he was flying behind the monorail Bruce reeled himself up and into the hole where the rear doors should have been.

Inside, the monorail was still and silent. Spent shell casings littered the floor and a few of the supports were bent with clear signs that Clark had hit them while fighting Ra's absent men. Bruce noted the damage while hurrying to the front of the monorail.

"I knew that you would come," Ra's said when Bruce stalked into the front car. "It was inevitable that we would confront each other."

"You won't win," Bruce growled at him.

Clark lay on the floor next to the microwave weapon. He lay perfectly still, as still as if he was already dead. Bruce snarled and took one step towards Clark only to have Ra's suddenly swinging his sword in Bruce's face. His block just barely kept Bruce's throat from being cut.

"You cannot win this battle," Ra's said just smugly enough that it made Bruce grit his teeth. "I am beyond your skills, Batman."

Bruce didn't bother replying. Time was running out. Every second that they talked and fought was a victory for Ra's. It meant more water vaporized and turned into a toxin to kill Bruce's people. The key to victory was getting Clark back to normal and then getting rid of the microwave weapon so Bruce blocked Ra's attack, backed up as if he was retreating and then threw one of his batarangs into the lights overhead. It took a second batarang four entirely too long seconds later to get the red lights to go out. Not ideal but it worked well enough to eliminate one of Ra's' weapons against Clark.

"Clever," Ra's said with a nod of his head to Bruce, "but insufficient."

"Zatanna has an idea," Jack said in Bruce's ears. "She thinks she can get rid of the meteor rock."

"Do it!" Bruce snapped.

He flung himself at Ra's as if trying to get past him to Clark's side. Ra's clucked his tongue disapprovingly and blocked Bruce's path so utterly that there was no hope of Bruce getting through. Fortunately for everyone, especially Clark, Ra's' focus on Bruce prevented him from noticing what was happening to Clark. Behind Ra's something sparkled and shimmered over Clark's back, swirling as it settled onto the base of his neck. It sent off a tiny shower of sparks and then swirled away to do the same in two other places in the car.

Clark groaned.

"What?" Ra's asked and then had to block against Bruce's ferocious attack.

"You made a mistake, Ra's," Bruce snarled as he kept Ra's from going and taking Clark out again. "You assumed that it was just the two of us. We're not alone. We have friends, allies, people that we can trust to help us stop you and to save the world."

"Batman?" Clark asked and then gasped. "The weapon!"

"Get it out of here!" Bruce shouted to Clark.

"No!" Ra's bellowed.

Clark moved too fast for Bruce or Ra's to follow as he ripped the microwave weapon out of its cradle and held it over his shoulder. He flew straight up and through the roof of the monorail, ripping a huge hole in it as he went slowly higher. The farther up he went, the faster Clark flew, as if the sun pouring down through a gap in the clouds restored him the higher he went.

"Fool," Ra's snarled. "Never lose your focus in a battle!"

"Get off the monorail!" Jack said in Bruce's ears. "We've got a way to stop it but it's going to be deadly."

"Got it," Bruce panted while barely parrying or dodging all the attacks that Ra's threw at him.

Something exploded by the wall into Wayne territory. It quickly swelled into a huge puffy cloud of something that looked positively viscous. Ra's saw Bruce stare over his shoulder and turned to look for one precious instant. Bruce whirled around and ran out the car as quickly as he could. Several steps later, the entire monorail shuddered as it struck the viscous mass and then there was a sound of screaming metal, crumbling concrete and people shouting over Bruce's comms.

The second car bucked as he moved into the third and then he had to roll as he tumbled down the length of the third car. He made it into the fourth as it started to rise into the air for what he knew would be a spectacular crash. Bruce fired his grapple at a passing building and prayed to every god that had ever been as it dragged him through the torn-open door at the rear of the fourth car. He wasn't sure that he'd make it.

Overhead something huge exploded so far up in the sky that it was just light and the shimmer of debris for an eternal moment. Bruce heard himself scream the word 'Superman' as the fourth car tumbled around him and time slowed down to a crawl.

+++++

"The fear toxin directly affects people's nervous systems," Lex said through his borrowed headset to some of the House Wayne troops trying to keep the peace outside of the wall, "but it has to be inhaled to be effective. Skin or eye exposure is insufficient. It must enter the lungs."

"So we just have to put breathing masks on the victims?" the not very bright troop leader asked.

"No, if they're exposed, they're exposed," Lex repeated for the sixth time in the last five minutes. "They need the vaccine which should be delivered to you shortly. Make sure that _your_ people don't take off their masks or they'll be affected too."

Alfred's expression was something close to approving and amused, though as always he controlled his facial expressions to the point that it was hard to be certain. The headset that O'Neill had provided him with altered Lex's voice so that he sounded like a very pissed off Bruce Wayne instead of like himself.

They needed Bruce to be officially in charge while Batman rescued Superman. It wasn't a truly effective ruse as Lex was absolutely nothing like Bruce but hopefully people who interacted with Lex over the radio now would think later that the differences had more to do with the sudden elevation in position rather than someone pretending to be Bruce.

"Oh, okay," the troop leader finally said and signed off so that Lex could deal with other issues, other people, other problems that attempted unsuccessfully to distract him from his worry for Clark and Bruce.

"Where are they?" Lex asked O'Neill.

"No time!" O'Neill snapped at Lex. "Fuck, get that meteor rock off of him before the monorail goes through the wall!"

Lex heard Zatanna whispering something that sounded like a foreign language that he should know but didn't and then almost pulled the comm out of his ear as a dozen shouts of delight echoed through his head. Alfred called up the monitors in time for Lex to see Clark punch a hole through the roof of the first car of the monorail and fly straight into the sky.

"Where's Batman?" Lex asked in a tone that was pure Bruce as Dominus.

"Still fighting," O'Neill answered. "Green Arrow, get that foam onto the rail!"

"What are you doing?" Lex demanded but no one answered him.

The monitors showed the Green Arrow firing some sort of trick arrows at the last monorail's support column before the wall into Wayne territory. They hit and immediately exploded into huge piles of foam that swelled and billowed into a goopy wall that swallowed the first car of the monorail whole.

"You idiots!" Lex yelled. "Is Batman out yet?"

His words coincided with the second car inevitably following Newton's laws and rising up into the air. The third car torqued and whipped the fourth and final car around like a disciplinarian cracking a whip against a slave's back. Lex's heart rose into his throat along with his gorge at the thought of Bruce in the middle of that soon to be twisted mass of metal and plastic.

As the fourth car spun and broke free from the others to fly towards the wall an explosion went off overhead. The monitors blanked out, showing Lex nothing but static. At the same time, the comms went silent other than a fuzzy white noise that Lex thought might be his brain refusing to process any further input.

"No!" Lex bellowed. "O'Neill! What happened to Batman and Superman?"

Static was all that replied. Lex cursed and then started as Alfred put a gentle hand on his shoulder. It wasn't until Alfred touched him that Lex realized that he was shaking like a leaf. Alfred's hand felt like it was as steady as stone.

"Perhaps we should go to a window, Dominus Alexander?" Alfred suggested.

"I can't," Lex hissed. "I'm supposed to be Bruce."

"He has stayed with the computers to see if he can get them working again," Alfred said with a wicked little twinkle in his eyes. "You were sent to see if you could see what was going on with the unaided eye."

"Thank you and yes," Lex breathed.

He ran out of the council room, shouting at the guards to remain in place to protect their Dominus as he worked on the computers. They seemed to buy it because they went to attention and shut the door that Lex had left swinging. Hopefully Alfred would be able to hold off anyone who needed to see Bruce until they knew what had happened.

'They can't be dead,' Lex thought as he ran to the front steps and encountered more Wayne troops desperate for more instructions. 'They better not be dead!'

If they were dead, either or both of them, Lex didn't think that he'd be able to go on. Bruce and Clark had become his entire world since he encountered them in Smallville. He knew that his father would call him weak for needing others but Lex knew himself well enough to know that he needed Clark's cheerful youth and Bruce's pure dominance.

"What happened?" Master Jim Gordon asked.

"I have to assume that the explosion put out an electromagnetic pulse," Lex said to him loudly enough that the other troops could hear them. "Dominus Wayne is working on getting the computers back up but wanted to know if we have any idea what happened to Batman and Superman."

"Not yet," Gordon sighed. "Without radios it's hard to know what's going on. This is one time I wish House Wayne territory wasn't quite so large."

"Agreed," Lex grumbled. "Do your best to find out. Use runners if you have to but find out what happened to the monorail and if anyone has seen Superman since the explosion."

Lex spent the next half hour running back and forth between the front foyer and the council room, helping Alfred, who was far more knowledgeable about computers than one would expect in a butler and slave, and communicating with Gordon who seemed to be in charge of the Wayne troops. The running around kept him from screaming and throwing something at a wall.

"He's alive!" Gordon said the next time Lex found him on the front steps.

"Who? Which?" Lex asked urgently enough that he nearly winced at how much he was revealing.

"Batman," Gordon said with a huge grin. "O'Neill finally got his comms back on line and I just got a report from O'Neill's people that Batman was sighted down by the docks."

"We have got to get our comms working too," Lex grumbled. "Good. Pass the word that he's not to be hurt. I think Bruce wants to reward him at some point, if we can figure out who he is."

"I thought he was one of O'Neill's," Gordon said with a little shrug. "Most of those hero types seem to be associated with him."

"Still, he has helped House Wayne today," Lex said with a nod of agreement that disguised his urge to laugh until he cried at the sheer thought of Batman or Superman being part of House O'Neill.

Three minutes after that Alicia appeared with a newly improved comm for Lex to use. She had several bloody scratches on her cheeks but other than that she looked okay. When Lex waved at her to wait she paused, bouncing impatiently on her toes.

"Superman?" Lex asked.

"No confirmed sightings yet," Alicia said sympathetically enough that Lex wanted to glare at her. "Jack doesn't think that the explosion was strong enough to kill him and he's certain that it wasn't enough to vaporize his body. He's probably out helping people."

"Right, go," Lex said, reassured in spite of himself by that. If anyone would know Clark's limits, it would be House O'Neill who seemed to know everything there was to know about everyone.

Once Alfred had the computers back up twenty minutes later, Lex insisted on going to inspect the damage to the monorail. Between O'Neill, Alfred and Gordon, there wasn't much need for him at Wayne Manor so going to ensure that Ra's had died and that his body was found was the next most urgent thing.

"That is a mess," Lex sighed once he got to the crash site.

The Green Arrow's foam had degraded since the explosion, though globules of the foam still clung to the wreckage and neighboring structures. Lex had to watch his footing because the foam had melted into a sticky slick of bluish-green sludge that threatened to either tear his shoes off or trip him and send him down to his knees.

"Yup," Jack said from the twisted door of one of the monorail cars. "Gonna be a serious pain to clean up properly."

"Do we have Ra's' body?" Lex asked.

"…Maybe," Jack replied as he made a grimace that made Lex glare at him. "Come on. Maybe you'll be able to tell. The body's not pretty."

They carefully picked their way out of the foam zone to a tent that had House O'Neill's dotted up-carrot sigil on it. Inside there was a body bag that looked entirely too small for a man Ra's al Ghul's size. Once Jack unzipped it Lex understood why Jack wasn't sure that they had Ra's. The hunk of shattered meat and bone barely looked human.

"Point made," Lex sighed. "You are testing his genetics, correct?"

"Absolutely," Jack said as he zipped the body bag back up. "Not sure how long that'll take but we'll let you know what we find out. I don't see how he could have gotten out."

"Batman made it out," Lex said. "Ra's al Ghul is at least that inventive and he's supposed to be immortal."

"Not according to my evidence," Jack snorted and nudged the body bag with one toe. "We've got things under control down here. You should probably let Wayne know about the doubt about the body."

The look in his eyes made Lex want to smack him. That sort of smirk was entirely too obvious, not that they had anyone in the tent with them. Lex didn't say anything about it as he headed back to Wayne Manor. To his surprise, Alfred opened the door when Lex ran up the stairs.

"Dominus Wayne urgently wishes to know the results of your investigation, Dominus Luthor," Alfred said with just enough twinkle in his eyes to make it clear that Bruce had to be back.

"I'll go tell him right away," Lex said.

He didn't run down the hallway to the council chamber but it was a very close thing. Lex did his best to keep his worry and excitement off of his face once he was in sight of the guards still posted outside of the chamber. They smiled and let him in, used to Lex running back and forth by now.

"You idiot!" Lex snapped once the door was shut and he could talk freely to Bruce again. "Let me do that!"

"I'm fine," Bruce growled at him as he tried to bandage a cut on his right upper arm.

He stopped growling as Lex kissed him hard enough to rock Bruce back into his chair. There was a faint taste of blood in Bruce's mouth as if he'd taken a blow to the mouth at some point but he kissed Lex back urgently enough that Lex didn't worry about it. When Lex finally let Bruce's lips go he pulled the bandages out of Bruce's hands and got the growl back.

"Oh stop it," Lex huffed at him. "You're right handed and I know it. Just sit still so we can get you back into your proper clothes. I'm not good at pretending to be you."

"I wouldn't think so," Bruce said. He relaxed a little as Lex bandaged his arm and then helped him change back into his regular clothes with the O'Neill supplied body armor over that. "Ra's?"

"We might have his body but it's so smashed that O'Neill isn't sure," Lex replied.

"Superman?" Bruce asked, this time with enough tension that Lex kissed him again.

"I don't know," Lex whispered. "No confirmed sightings yet, but Jack doesn't think that the explosion could have killed him."

Bruce held Lex for a long moment and then called for Alicia over the comms. She appeared, now with a bonus black eye, slightly scorched hair and enough impatience with them both that Lex fought down a grin.

"Take these back to House Clark, please," Bruce asked quite respectfully as he passed over his Batman armor in its bag. "Any news on Superman?"

"Not yet," Alicia said with a glance at the door as it opened to admit Alfred with a tray of food. "You might try calling House Clark and checking there. Master Clark's been helping deal with things down in his area. He might be back inside by now."

Her wink as she disappeared prompted a relieved sigh out of Bruce and a whispered curse for Clark's impulsive need to help people when he should be letting them know he was all right. An hour and a half later, Clark bounded into the drawing room where Bruce had gathered all the young Dominus to compare notes on what had happened. Jack had flung himself onto one of the couches with his personal slave Daniel sitting by his feet but he looked like he'd gone to sleep almost instantly.

"You're okay?" Clark asked before Lex could curse at him or Bruce could say anything. "When the comms went down none of us could hear what happened up at the Manor. The last I heard you'd just been voted in."

"I'm fine," Bruce reassured Clark. "You weren't exposed to the toxin?"

"Nope," Clark said and grinned. "We had gas masks for everyone so no problems on that front. Our well did run dry though. Water's going to be an issue for a while."

Bruce reached out a hand to Clark and then tugged him into a passionate kiss that made Oliver and Barry laugh loudly enough to wake Jack up. A moment later Lex found himself tugged into the hug so he claimed a kiss from Clark as well. Where Bruce had tasted of blood, Clark only tasted of himself though Lex thought he could smell the faintest traces of smoke around Clark.

"I am marrying both of you," Bruce announced.

"Lovely proposal," Lex said dryly enough to get a snicker out of Jack and a grin out of Clark.

"I don't know," Clark said. "Seems appropriate for the most powerful Dominus on the east coast."

"I think I deserve gemstones at the very least," Lex replied in his spoiled concubine voice.

"I knew you had to be that slave," Oliver crowed. "Perfect way to hide in plain sight."

"I thought so," Bruce said. He turned to Jack who raised one eyebrow but didn't stir from his lounge on the couch. "Will House Luthor or House Clark get in trouble for sheltering me?"

"Nah," Jack said while flipping one hand casually at Bruce, Clark and Lex. "Officially the Emperor doesn't give a damn. Earle sold you so he's the one who's going to be torn apart by lions. The Emperor's a tiny bit annoyed with me that I can't give him an intact skull to display for Ra's but pictures of Ra's pulped body works pretty well. Pity we have to give his body back to his daughter. I think the Emperor wanted to have his body pickled and put on display in his throne room."

Lex shuddered at the thought of that pulped body he'd seen on display in perpetuity. It was probably better to give his body back to Talia. At least she'd have a little closure, though Lex was sure that House O'Neill and the Imperial Guard would watch her for the rest of her life to ensure that she never followed in her father's footsteps.

"Good," Bruce sighed. "Clark kept me safe all these years and Lex has had my heart since before my parents died. I would have been… upset… if they were punished for things that weren't their fault."

"Uh-huh," Jack said and smirked at Bruce.

He settled back down to sleep some more. Daniel looked at him and shook his head in dismay, offering the rest of the room a befuddled shrug. Lex dismissed Jack and his idiosyncrasies from his mind so that he could focus on Clark and Bruce. No matter how good it felt to have Bruce and then Clark wrap an arm around him, Lex refused to allow himself to show his relief physically.

"So when are we getting married?" Lex asked.

"As soon as is humanly possible," Bruce declared. Jack snorted a laugh from his spot on the couch without opening his eyes. "I'm not letting either of you get away from me. You're mine and the whole world is going to know it as soon as we can get everything put together."

Clark grinned at Lex and shrugged. "Works for me."

"And for me," Lex agreed.

+++++

"I can't believe them," Clark grumbled as they all waited for the crowd of people invited to the wedding to settle down.

"Now what?" Lex asked from his lounging spot by the fireplace. "Are people still being rude about our Houses being too insignificant to be allied with House Wayne?"

"No, they keep talking about what an 'astute' move it was for Bruce to marry us so soon after regaining his position," Clark said and growled at the reporter who kept saying that it was politics and nothing more. When he got the chance he was going to give that Lois Lane woman a piece of his mind. "They think this is all just House politics!"

"It is an astute move," Bruce said and then grinned at Clark's look of betrayal. "I need the support. House Luthor and House Clark are the two up and coming Houses of this millennium. Everyone knows that. It's good for your Houses. It's good for my House. And as it's an alliance marriage we all get to keep our positions as Dominus and each House stays fundamentally independent. Now if we'd gone for a more traditional marriage then they'd admit that it was more."

There wasn't much that Clark could say to that, especially since they'd had this conversation a few thousand times in the three weeks since Ra's' death and Bruce's regaining his place as Dominus. Bruce came over and cupped one hand around Clark's cheek in a blatantly dominant gesture that neither of them had to hide anymore.

"I don't care if they think it's a cold, impersonal arrangement, Clark," Bruce murmured. "You're mine and I'm yours. It's been that way for years. The less they know about our real lives the happier I'll be."

He leaned in and kissed Clark hard enough to make Clark moan and clutch Bruce's hips. A moment later Lex was there, pushing his way into their arms for kisses of his own. Just as Clark was about to suggest a really fast quickie to take the edge off before they went out, he heard Alfred coming their way.

"I hate weddings," Clark groaned. "Alfred's here to get us."

Lex laughed as the door opened and then laughed harder as Alfred raised one eyebrow at them. For a slave and an elderly man, Alfred was seriously intimidating. Clark let Bruce and Lex go, smoothing down his formal tunic and adjusting himself so that his erection didn't show.

Fortunately for all three of them, formal tunics were long enough and heavy enough to hide a multitude of sins, including inappropriately timed erections. Bruce's formal outfit was black velvet with gold trim coupled with slim black pants. It was strange to see him without the silver collar and cuffs that had adorned his neck and wrists for so long. Lex had chosen a charcoal tabard over a lavender shirt with deep gray pants. Clark had stuck to his favorite formal red shirt and blue pants, this time with a gold brocade tunic over the top. He kind of felt like they were overdressed for the ceremony but the party afterwards demanded fancy clothes and none of them wanted to change after signing the marriage alliance paperwork.

"Everyone has gathered, Master Bruce, Dominus Alexander, Master Clark," Alfred said. The way he said 'master' for Bruce was entirely different than the way he said it for Clark, full of pride and ownership rather than appropriate respect for one of rank. "We are ready for you now."

"Thank you Alfred," Bruce said. "We may as well get this over with so that we can get to the fun part."

"The honeymoon?" Lex asked and grinned at the way Alfred's eyes twinkled.

"That too," Bruce replied. He smirked. "I actually meant the party, though."

"Ugh, parties are not fun," Clark sighed. "I'd rather have the honeymoon."

"Out voted!" Lex declared as they headed down the hallway to the great ballroom. "We sign everything and then go straight to the honeymoon."

"No voting," Bruce huffed at them.

He grinned as he did it though, which inspired another huge grin on Lex's face and Clark to laugh as they walked into the ballroom. Flashes went off all over the room, nearly blinding Clark. Bruce didn't skip a step, striding straight into the ballroom through the crowd as though he owned every single one of them. Clark and Lex strode side by side behind him, Clark doing his best to look confident even when he spotted his parents and grandfather standing by the table that had been set up at the head of the room. Mom had a hankie against the tears in her eyes.

They were the only family present for the wedding. Bruce didn't have anyone other than Alfred to stand for him, though Jack O'Neill was there and so was Lucius Fox. Lex's father and brother were both in prison as they awaited their fate for helping Ra's al Ghul attempt to take over the world. House Luthor was represented by Mercy, who looked like the bodyguard that she was even in formal wear.

Clark took his spot on Bruce's left while Lex sat on Bruce's right. Alfred ceremoniously gave each of them a golden pen and then the official reading of the marriage alliance began. Jack handled that part, ostentatiously peering at his copy when he got to the part about each of the Houses remaining fundamentally independent and again when he hit the part about their heirs being free to choose which House they wanted to belong to.

Those points made the crowd whisper and murmur in surprise. Clark could see Lois Lane scribbling something on a notepad, though honestly most of the other reporters were doing the same thing despite the fact that the marriage alliance paperwork was publicly posted. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, Jack stopped reading and looked out over the crowd with a fierce expression.

"Anyone object to their marriage alliance?" he snapped as if he was going to shoot the first person who opened their mouth. Jack waited the traditional minute and then nodded firmly. "Good. Make with the signing so we can get to the food, boys."

Clark laughed with everyone else, signing his name on his copy of the alliance paperwork before passing it to Bruce and taking Lex's to sign. They took turns until all three copies were signed and sealed with the House Wayne, Clark and Luthor insignias. Alfred took each one, verified the signatures and seals and then passed them to Jack who did the same. Jack nodded and initialed each, added his seal on the bottom of each and then passed them back to Alfred who held the paperwork as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

"This marriage alliance is now formally signed and sealed," Jack announced. "May nothing in Heaven or on Earth break them asunder. Where's the food?"

The reporters who had been recording the event laughed, along with Clark, Bruce and Lex, as well as pretty much everyone else. While Jack went off to raid the buffet table, Clark, Bruce and Lex spent the next two hours smiling and shaking hands with every single person who'd come. By the time they were able to make it to the buffet table Alfred had the special wedding cake set up and the second round of refreshments were coming in.

"Do we have to do the cake thing?" Lex complained in an undertone to Bruce.

"Afraid so," Bruce sighed. "It's traditional and we're supposed to be bringing tradition back to Gotham and House Wayne."

"Fuck," Lex sighed.

Clark agreed with him, especially since they had to cut up and distribute the huge cake to their guests without getting to eat a single bite of it. From the expression on his mother's face when she ate her first bite it was delicious, too. By the time they were done with that, there was music and dancing and Clark had to dance with what felt like every single eligible (and some non-eligible) females on the continent. He escaped back to Bruce and Lex's side after a while, sighing.

"Have we spent long enough at this yet?" Clark complained. "There was supposed to be a honeymoon in here somewhere."

"Agreed," Lex growled. "If I have to deal with another nervously flirtatious young woman talking about concubine contracts I'm going to scream."

"I think so," Bruce said with a tired sigh. "I'm certain sick of hearing about military contracts and how 'useful' House O'Neill contacts are."

Bruce pushed away from the piece of wall that he'd been determinedly holding up for the last half hour. The entire room stilled in response to his gesture, which made Clark wonder if it was just Bruce's natural personality to ride roughshod over everyone or if it was something he'd learned while before becoming a slave.

"Thank you all," Bruce said with a just barely gracious smile on his face. "I truly appreciate all of you coming here to celebrate our wedding and eat our food."

His nod towards Jack got a glass raised in salute from him and a round of laughter from the crowd.

"Gotham has been through some difficult times but I know that we can pull through and become a beacon to the rest of the world," Bruce continued. "With our allies and friends, I am sure that the Empire will continue to expand and prosper. We look forward to working with you in the future but for now we must depart."

"Go have sex!" Jack shouted to more laughter.

"Thank you, Dominus O'Neill," Bruce said snidely enough to get a grin from Jack. "Please, continue to enjoy our hospitality and thank you for your support, your kindness and any help you may offer in the future."

Clark bowed, Lex bowed and then Bruce led the way out of the ballroom and out of the building to a waiting air car. Once they were inside Bruce groaned and settled back against the cushions. Lex moved to settle between them, sighing.

"That was exhausting," Lex complained.

"Not too exhausting, I hope," Bruce said.

"Where are we going?" Clark asked.

"Smallville," Bruce said and grinned at the surprised looks on Clark and Lex's faces. "To the mansion. It's out of the way, more or less ignored and frankly? I miss Smallville. Seemed like a good choice for our honeymoon."

"Good idea," Clark said and then rubbed his stomach. "The part that gets me is that we didn't get to eat any of the food, not even the cake. I'm hungry. What sort of wedding leaves the guests of honor hungry?"

Bruce and Lex laughed. They snuggled and then Clark investigated the car, beaming when he found a picnic basket full of food from the wedding party. That led to them feeding each other, closing the divider between them and the driver, and making out. Fortunately for all of them, no one was waiting for them when they arrived at the mansion a couple of hours later because they all looked like they'd spend the last several hours doing exactly what they'd been doing.

The master suite had been redone since Lex's near-assassination at Lionel's hands. Clark could smell the paint. Where it had been a relatively reasonable suite before, with wood paneling and discrete touches of gold on picture frames, now the master suite was gaudy and so ornate that all three of them stopped just inside the doorway.

"Your father has terrible taste, Lex," Bruce said.

"I know," Lex sighed.

"I am not spending my honeymoon in this room," Clark declared.

"I agree," Lex sighed again. "Come on. There are dozens of other suites we can use."

They went down the hallway, checking rooms as they went. After some discussion on whether or not lavender drapes were ever appropriate, they ended up in the suite directly opposite to the master suite. It wasn't as large but it was much more restful and the bed was big enough for all three of them to sleep in comfortably.

"Clothes off," Bruce ordered.

"I love it when he gets all dominant," Lex sighed while pulling his tabard off.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Clark agreed. He blurred out of his clothes and then grinned at the disgusted expressions on Lex and Bruce's faces. "Don't mind me. I'll just sit here and wait for you two."

Clark started stroking himself to hardness while watching Bruce and Lex strip each other. They seemed distracted by Clark's display but pretty quickly all three of them were on the bed together. Lex pressed up against Clark's front while Bruce draped himself over Clark's back. The two of them seemed to be determined to catch up to Clark's level of arousal as quickly as possible because Lex whimpered while kissing and stroking Clark and Bruce pressed slick fingers to Clark's ass almost immediately.

"Oh," Clark moaned as Bruce fingered him roughly enough to make the bed bounce a little. "Bruce…"

"You're going to fuck Lex," Bruce growled into Clark's ear. "And I'm going to fuck you. Then we're going to switch so that Lex gets to take you while I take him. And then we'll switch around again."

"Oh yeah, I get to top," Lex moaned. He reached for the lube and pressed it into Clark's hand. "I can get on-board with that!"

It didn't take long at all before Bruce was guiding Clark's erection into Lex while Bruce continued to finger Clark. Lex shuddered underneath Clark and spread his legs to take Clark deeper. Bruce quickly pushed into Clark and reached around him to grasp Lex's hips.

"Oh fuck!" Lex gasped.

"Bruce," Clark moaned.

"Love both of you," Bruce whispered just loudly enough for Lex to hear him. "No matter what happened in the past or will happen in the future, I love you both."

He started pounding into Clark. With his grip on Lex's hips, it felt like Bruce was fucking Lex with Clark's cock. Clark shuddered and braced himself so that he wouldn't squash Lex. Bruce set such a fast pace that there was little hope of holding out for any length of time. To his embarrassment, Clark was the first to come, followed almost immediately by Lex and then a few dozen hammering thrusts later by Bruce. They collapsed together to the bed in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Too fast," Lex complained.

"We have all night," Bruce murmured through his pants. "All night, all day tomorrow, the next week."

"Forever," Clark agreed. "We have forever together."

Lex shifted around to grin at them both. His smile was practically luminous. Clark smiled back as he hugged Lex gently. No matter what the reporters thought or what any of the other Dominus thought about their marriage, Clark knew the truth.

They were perfect for each other and they'd be together for the rest of their lives. Come what may, Clark had the two people he needed most in his life. Together they could face anything and win. Lex patted Clark's arms fondly.

"So what was that about me getting to top?" Lex asked once their breathing had calmed and the sweat had begun to cool.

"Mmm, did I say that?" Bruce said and then laughed as both Clark and Lex pushed him back on the bed for kisses and fondling. "Heh, maybe I did say that."

"Hey," Clark said just tentatively enough that both Bruce and Lex looked at him.

"Yes?" Bruce asked while caressing Clark's cheek.

"I… I'm so glad that it worked out this way," Clark admitted in a blushing whisper. "I don't think I could have chosen between the two of you."

Bruce smiled and Lex chuckled. They opened their arms and let Clark cuddle them despite the three erections making it sort of uncomfortable. Lex kissed Clark gently and Bruce ran his fingers through Clark's hair.

"You never have to choose," Bruce told him. "We belong together, all three of us."

"Forever," Lex agreed.

+++++

"Master Clark asked me to tell you that he would be late getting home," Alfred said as Bruce strode into the private quarters they'd set up in Wayne Manor. "He is apparently having some issues with his new personal slave."

"Somehow I'm not surprised by that," Bruce chuckled. "Jimmy's a very nice young man but he's not trained properly to be a Dominus-in-Training's personal slave."

"Indeed, Master Bruce," Alfred agreed. "If I may, I would like to offer him some more direct guidance when Master Clark and young Jimmy return to the Manor."

"I'm sure Clark would kiss you for it," Bruce said and then laughed at Alfred's glare. "Metaphorically speaking of course, Alfred."

"I should certainly hope so, Master Bruce," Alfred huffed.

The six months since the climactic battle to save Gotham had made a huge difference in their lives. Bruce was relatively certain that it would take the rest of his life to undo the damage that Earle and Ra's had inflicted on Gotham. He was doing his best, along with the Underground Railroad, to make Gotham a place that people could go for a fresh start but the long-term neglect of the city had made commerce and industry difficult.

Every night he went out as Batman who had quickly been established as someone completely independent of House O'Neill. Every hero including Superman had made that clear shortly after they left Gotham. Conspiracy theorists across the Empire were evenly split between those who refused to believe that House O'Neill was behind it all and those who believed that the newly formed Justice League was dedicated to taking over the world.

They headed down into the caves that underlay Wayne Manor and the surrounding area. Finding the caves had been a boon. Bruce Wayne had full run of the Manor but Batman had to be a secret. The last thing Bruce wanted was for people to realize that he was Batman. When he was Batman he had complete freedom to act against the raids and illegal behavior that he had to tolerate as Bruce Wayne.

"Will Lex make it home tonight?" Bruce asked as he settled at the new monitors that secretly tied into the cameras all over Gotham.

"He sent a message stating that he would endeavor to be here, Master Bruce," Alfred replied. "His message indicated that he thought a 'night out' might be a worthwhile endeavor. There is apparently a circus in town and he wishes to publically support their right to travel freely through the empire by attending as Dominus Luthor."

"Hmm, not a bad thought," Bruce said. "It looks like a relatively quiet afternoon. If Clark makes it in time we can certainly go. If not, send them a message and tell them that I'd love to have them perform inside House Wayne's walls. They can stay for a week free of charge and the House will get some non-violent entertainment to enjoy."

"An excellent thought, Master Bruce," Alfred said with his most warmly approving expression. "I shall go take care of that now."

He bowed and headed upstairs, leaving Bruce to work on the cases he had going until Clark appeared by his elbow. Bruce smiled as Clark pulled him around for a kiss that left both of them hard. Lex was right behind him, which was enough to prompt Bruce to shut off the monitors so that he could focus on what was important.

"So you like the idea of the circus?" Lex asked once they'd kissed and then had a very quick quickie that involved Lex giving Bruce a blow job while Clark took his ass.

"Yes," Bruce said. "I do. The laws limiting their movement are stupid. We'll attend, invite them to put on a show for a week and then help them to move onto House Luthor territory."

"Great!" Clark said with his normal enthusiasm for fun things to do. "It'll be nice to get a break from training Jimmy."

Bruce snickered at Clark's disgusted expression. "Alfred suggested that he would give Jimmy some 'more direct guidance' on his duties."

"Please!" Clark groaned. "I know I'm spoiled rotten from having you as my personal slave but come on! Jimmy really isn't catching on at all."

"Give him time," Bruce said as Lex pulled him to his feet and they all headed upstairs. "I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, why don't we get ready for the circus? What was the name of it, Lex?"

"Haley's World Famous Circus," Lex said in an appropriately dramatic voice. He grinned. "Their stars are the Flying Graysons, a family of aerialists. They perform without a net, which seems dangerous to me but hey, they're supposed to be among the best in the world."

Bruce smiled as Clark and Lex started debating whether or not there should be laws to prevent them from performing without a net. They emerged into their private quarters and after changing clothes headed out into Gotham to see Haley's Circus. As they went, Bruce sent up a silent prayer that nothing untoward would happen tonight. Their chances to be together and simply enjoy themselves were rare enough that he wanted to cherish this night with his husbands and allies.

The End


End file.
